Gradual Commitment
by KillerRack
Summary: When Karen finds someone new, she hopes that he will stand beside her, even though he's afraid of commitment.Por favor Review! I know you guys are reading it. Oh and I now accept annoymous reviews...so get on that. :p
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Karen Walker walked briskly in to Grace Adler Designs, sitting down rather sensually on her chair. Grace, who had been hard at work, sketching a bathroom for some lucky client, glanced up, noticing Karen's giddy mood. She sat her pencil down and turned to face Karen, who was busy making herself a martini. Karen smiled to herself as she poured the ingredients in to a mixer and then seemed to have a bit too much fun shaking the thing.

Grace raised her eyebrows and parted her lips, "What's up with you, Ms. Walker."

"Oh, Grace." Karen paused, radiant, a smile permanently affixed to her face, "I think I found him. Now, I know what you'll say, is he good enough for my little Karen? Well, Gracie, he's better than any man I've ever met. And I have met many, many men." Karen smiled.

"This sounds interesting. I'm guessing he called you back."

"Oh, Grace, he did more than call me back." Karen grinned, then frowned knowing that last sentence had been rather provocative. "Oh, no, he's a gentlemen, he really is. He's tall, and sweet, and has perfect hair, and lots of money, and he's fifteen years younger than me, and he lives on the uptown, and he…"

"Whoa, wait!" Grace stopped her. "He's fifteen years younger than you?"

"Yeah. So?" Karen looked confused. She glanced around as if trying to gain support from imaginary people.

"So…that's a big age difference. Are you sure he's not just looking for someone with money?"

"No, that's not it at all. Honey, why do you always have to take my hopes and dreams and rip them in to little, tiny, miniscule pieces? I've had enough of you. I'm leaving." Karen cried, jumping up and storming out of the office.

Grace just rolled her eyes and returned to her drawing. She was only slightly worried about Karen, who had seemed rather upset when she had mentioned he might only be using her, but would be over it in a few hours. Maybe there was more to this relationship than Grace had thought; maybe Karen actually liked this man and perhaps he liked her as well.

Grace decided to let it go for a few weeks and see what happened. If he stuck around long enough, she might begin to believe Karen.

* * *

Funny thing, he did stick around. Mr. Nathan Kingsley became a permanent fixture in Karen's life. He seemed to show up at all the little get together's the group had and often came by the office, just to see how Karen was doing. One morning, where this story picks up again, Grace walked in to find a whole bouquet of flowers sitting on Karen's desk. She paused, a look of awe apparent on her face. She tried to walk away, tried hard not to go over and open the card and read Nathan's note to Karen, but the temptation was too much. Slowly she sauntered over and reached for the card. Cautiously she broke the seal with her fingernail, and opened the envelope. She pulled the card out gently and flipped it open. 

I had a great time last night. Call me when you get this, maybe we'll have lunch.

I love you – N

So this was serious. More serious than Grace had thought it to be. Quickly she slipped the note back in to its little envelope and put it back in the bouquet. Karen would be radiant when she saw these beautiful flowers.

However, when the raven haired beauty came sauntering in a half hour later she was anything but radiant. She looked down right distraught. She fell in to her chair, completely ignoring the flowers that had been sat in front of her.

"Karen, what's wrong? Don't you like the flowers Nathan sent you?" Grace asked, after Karen seemed not to notice them.

"What?" Karen broke from her thoughts as if she had just realized she wasn't alone in the room.

"The flowers." Grace pointed.

"Oh, yes, they're nice." Karen said nonchalantly.

"What's wrong?" Grace inquired, not sure she liked Karen's sudden change in moods.

"Oh, Grace, he's perfect he really is…it's just…well…" Karen glanced down, smoothing out her black skirt and focusing on the bottom button of her blouse.

"Don't tell me you've met someone else." Grace took a few steps towards Karen, who immediately looked up, a look of horror evident on her beautiful porcelain face.

"No, no Grace. It's nothing like that…it's…I'm…no, honey, I can't say it." Karen's eyes had fallen again and she looked almost ashamed.

Grace went closer, squatting down next to Karen and wrapping her arms around her friends shoulders. "What is it?"

"Well, Grace…I'm kind of pregnant." Karen's voice was hardly audible but Grace had definitely heard right.

"And Nathan doesn't know?" Grace guessed, and Karen nodded her head yes. "And you're afraid to tell him?" Karen nodded again.

"Oh, Grace, it would ruin our relationship." Karen looked at Grace, a look of desperation spilling in to her wide pleading eyes.

"You don't know that." Grace tried to comfort her. She hadn't seen this much emotion from Karen Walker…well ever…and frankly it frightened and strengthened her. "Try talking to him. I'm sure he would understand."

"Understand my ass. Grace, I'm a...fff…well I'm a grown women and he's just a boy. He doesn't want some knocked up old hag." Karen became more depressed as she bad mouthed herself.

"Oh, no Karen, you're far from being an old hag. And he obviously cares about you. You two spend every waking moment together and he really likes you." Grace smiled.

Karen paused, a hopeful look passing her face, but only for a moment. "Oh, Gracie you're just saying that."

"No, Karen, I'm not. If a man ever passed you up, well they would be out of their mind. You're cute, and funny, and insensitive at times, but a hopeless romantic at heart, and…"

"I've got a killer rack, yes Grace I saw you looking." Karen grinned. "Well, you big lez, you might just have a point. I'm going to call him. Maybe we can have a nice conversation over lunch and I'll see how he feels about being a parent. I'll just throw it in to the conversation." Karen smiled and picked up the phone, dialing the number she had dialed so many times before, her fingers meticulously falling on each number.

Grace watched Karen as she dialed, looking like a teenager about to call her boyfriend for the first time. She hoped Karen was all right, and she really hoped she was right about Nathan. If he dumped her over this, well she would take him on herself. She'd done it before for her and she would certainly do it again.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nathan Kingsley was madly in love with Karen Walker. Despite their drastic age difference, he felt a special bond with her. He often turned down invitations to go to bars with his friends who ended up looking at all the hot twenty something's. He was not interested in those shallow relationships, one night stands. He was more mature than that. He also could not stop thinking about Karen. The first night they had shared together had been special, different from others he had shared. He had never met a woman who knew more ways to pleasure him than he himself knew possible. It was like one erotic adventure. And he felt an emotional connection with Karen as well. It wasn't all about the amazing sex they shared almost every night. It was also about the talks they shared afterwards. She seemed to open up to him and he found that beneath that thick layer of insensitive, uncaring ness, there was a fragile little girl. He would hold her, care for her in the morning hours after a passion filled night. This was not just a normal relationship. The only thing he was worried about was Karen's interest in the relationship. He often wondered if she took him seriously because he was so much younger than she. The last thing he wanted was for their relationship to end.

He felt he had much to learn from such an older, wiser woman. He wanted, desperately, to share something with her. Something that would last forever, but marriage frightened him. It seemed as if there was something about being tied down, not that he would ever want to stray from Karen, but he just wasn't sure he was ready for that commitment.

He had decided that over lunch he would voice his concerns and see what Karen thought.

Nathan breezed in to the restaurant where Karen had instructed him to meet her. His dark brown hair, which hung loosely around his face giving him a young appearance, and piercing blue eyes caused Karen's breath to catch and a light floating sensation to occur. She knew she wasn't drunk, or high for that matter, because she had laid off all that, ever since she had found out about the baby, but just seeing him did more than an emotionally empty martini could ever do. She just didn't want to lose him and it scared her to have to tell him.

Karen glanced up and her eyes met Nathan's. He smiled and made his way over to her, kissing her gently on the lips. She responded to the kiss, deepened it. Parting, Karen felt something inside of her melting, and if she didn't speak soon, she might not ever get it out. "Sit down." She instructed.

"What is it?" Nathan inquired, hoping that nothing was wrong, praying that she wasn't breaking up with him. Karen Walker was the best thing that had happened to him in a long while, without her, well, he didn't want to think about that. However, that kiss they had just shared didn't make it seem like she wanted to leave him.

"Well, honey," Karen paused, trying to keep a light, happy air, but failing, not quite getting the smile she had wanted. "What do you think about children?"

"Oh," Nathan swallowed the water he had taken a sip of and gave Karen a thoughtful look. "I would love kids…someday." After a short pause, where Karen's eyes fell, he added, "Hopefully with you."

Karen glanced up, a look of surprise evident. "Really?"

"Yes, Karen I couldn't imagine life without you. I'm just not sure I'm ready for a commitment, you know marriage." Karen's face fell once again. He wasn't ready for commitment and a baby would need commitment. "But, I'm beginning to feel a bit differently." He added as if it might help things. "Why, Karen, are you breaking up with me?"

Karen's head shot up, and she shook her head, indicating 'no'. "No, that's not it at all. You're the best thing that's happened to me since Stan's death, and my divorce." She glanced down again. "It's just…that..."

"What, Karen?" He reached out, taking her hand, which had been mindlessly fingering the buttons on her shirt, and holding on to it, for support.

"I'm pregnant." She said, unable to look at him while she delivered this line.

Nathan seemed to pause for a moment, a look of shock, or something similar apparent on his face. "Oh." He didn't retract his hand, but he did seem to pull away. "Is it mine?"

"Of course it is." Karen articulated, as if to say oh-come-on. She was almost angered that he would doubt his hand in creating their child.

"Well," He seemed to come back from his thoughts, "We can do this." Karen frowned, not quite understanding what he was saying. "I'll help you through it." Karen gave him a questioning look. "Karen, you're not going to get rid of me. I'm here to stay rather you like it or not." He began to smile, and Karen, completely relieved, leaned forward, over the table, and kissed him, square on the lips.

"God, I love you." She whispered, pulling away, their hands still entwined together.

"How far along are you?" He asked, leaning forward, seemingly interested in this.

"About a month." Karen smiled. She was absolutely radiating, Nathan noticed. It must be the good sex and being pregnant at the same time that did that to a woman.

"Do you remember the night you conceived?" He asked, a spark of excitement entering his eyes.

"Do I ever. You were on your hands and knees, doing whatever I told you to do. But remember, we were so caught up in the moment, we forgot to use protection." Karen remembered.

Nathan smiled. "That was a good night."

"Yes, it was." Karen slyly ran her foot up and down Nathan's leg, kissing his hand which she still held in her hand.

"Are you hungry?" Nathan asked, his eyes connecting with hers.

"No." She responded.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Nathan inquired, glancing around.

"Yeah." She nodded and the two got up and practically ran out of the restaurant, eager for sex, for each other.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Back at the penthouse Karen fell on to the bed. Her raven hair fell around her face and her hand slide gently across her cheek, a girlish grin apparent. She was completely naked, freed of her clothing by Nathan, who loved her body more than anything. Nathan even embraced her imperfections. He had to admit she was no twenty year old, but he loved that. He loved her roundness, her luminous body which radiated when he touched her, pleasured her. He watched her, as she took her bare breasts in to her own hands. She knew he liked to watch her touch herself; it was their own form of foreplay. Soon she could see him hardening and knew what was about to happen.

Both felt that sensual sex was inevitable. Karen grabbed Nathan to her, rolling so that she was on top of him. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she leaned in to him, kissing him, beginning to pleasure herself by pressing her hips in to his. She could feel him beneath her, but he wasn't ready yet. He freed his lips from hers and kissed down her cheek, to her neck. There he kissed while Karen enjoyed his attention, riding him harder, making him a bit harder. She tilted her head and he took her ear into his mouth, nibbling gently on it. She giggled.

He found himself longing to be inside her, and so he carefully pushed her over so that he was on top of her. Her eyes never left his face as he gently pressed in to her. He held on to her hands as he carefully pressed in to her. Carefully at first, but they began to get worked up, began to gain speed, momentum. Karen freed her hands, wrapping her arms around his neck, pushing him in to her further. They locked lips, frantically kissing as both wanted more. He could feel her breasts on his chest and that got him going even harder, faster. Everything about her was sex. Every inch of her body just emitted it. It got his blood pumping, feeling her soft silky skin beneath him.

Equally, Nathan's strong masculine figure did the same thing to Karen. She loved his body pressed to her own. It was amazing how long they could keep at it without climaxing. Perhaps there was a climax, but it was ignored. Their stamina kept them going. They kept right at it.

Right up until they both felt it wearing off. Nathan was beginning to lose it and Karen was having a hard time keeping it up. But it sure felt amazing. They needed a large ending, and as Nathan began going harder and faster, Karen got just that. She fell back in to the bed, not having noticed that she had been holding herself up. Her body was exhausted; sweat was forming on her brow. Nathan looked drained as well. But he stayed on top of her, leaning down to kiss her forehead and then steal a kiss on the lips before rolling over so that he was lying beside her. "I love you, Karen."

"I love you too, honey." Karen sighed through breaths.

"I am really excited about the baby." He rolled over and placed his warm hand tenderly on her soft stomach.

She propped her head up with one arm, and placed her hand gently over his, entwining their fingers together. "So am I. I mean I never thought I would be, but now that I have this thing growing in me, I'm actually, sort of excited too."

"And you should be. You're the mother after all." Nathan got a smile out of Karen, who was lazily trailing her fingers through his curly brown hair.

"I know. I've just never been very motherly. But things change, people change." Just as they kissed the bedroom door flung open and in walked Jack.

"Hey Kare, hey Nathan." He sighed, not really caring, or noticing for that matter, that both were lying naked in the bed.

"Hey poodle." Karen outstretched her arms to Jack and hugged him.

"Grace told me you were telling him today." Turning to Nathan he said, "I'm so glad you stuck around." Jack smiled, as Nathan nodded, pulling the blankets further up so Jack wouldn't steel a peek underneath. Nathan was used to Jack's constant interruptions.

"I wouldn't leave Karen for the world." Nathan smiled, grabbing her hand which had found its way under the cover.

Karen turned to him and smiled. "That's why I love him, Jackie. He's so sweet." She leaned in and kissed Nathan.

"Gross." Jack turned away. "Well, I'd better be going. I thought Karen might be lonely, but I see she's not. So I'll just leave you two…heteros…ick…bye Karen." With that Jack was gone.

Nathan pulled away from Karen's kiss momentarily. "You didn't think I would stay."

"Well, honey, no. I didn't think you'd want to be stuck with such a big responsibility. You are still young, I thought you'd want to leave me for someone younger."

"Never Karen. Do you know how many times I've tried to walk away, and I can't. I could never leave you."

"You tried to walk away?" Karen seemed apprehensive about this.

"It was a long time ago. I was unsure about things, but now I know. Karen, don't you see? I love you." Nathan asked, pressing his lips to her hesitant lips.

"I guess so." She smiled. "I love you, too." She wrapped her arms around him, and they kissed.

TBC...thanks for the review! Review again and you'll get more! I have a lot more chapters where this came from. Lol.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After morning sickness from hell, Karen couldn't wait to go back to drinking. Compared to morning sickness, hangovers were so much more fun. Nathan had been by her side through it all, for the most part moving in with her. He was so kind, and loving. He spent every waking hour he could with Karen, constantly caring for her, and loving her when she felt up to it. He was so good about that. He never had sex, unless she felt up to it and wanted to. Lucky for him she always seemed to be in the mood, unless she felt sick. This happened on the occasion. She would feel so sick and would take to her bed. Nathan felt guilty leaving her to go to work, but she would make him. And then sometimes Grace would come over and crawl in to bed with her. Today was such a day.

"How are you feeling?" Grace asked, entering the bedroom. Karen glanced up, a drained pale look apparent on her face.

"Like shit." She answered blatantly. She held out her arms for Grace to come to her, and Grace did, like a child going to her mother. They exchanged a friendly kiss and then Grace, after kicking off her shoes, climbed in to bed beside Karen, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"How's Nathan?" She asked, trying to keep Karen's mind off her pain.

"Good." Karen smiled. "He has been so kind, and caring. He's just great, Gracie. I couldn't have asked for a better man."

"I'm glad you've found a man who loves you and respects you. I'm sure you never have to worry about him sleeping with his business partner."

"Oh, honey, are you still stuck on Leo?" Karen turned to look at Grace, who nodded. "You need to get out there and find someone new. I'm sure there's still someone who's decent out there."

"I'm just not ready, Karen." Grace shrugged. "I'm not like you, I can't just move on."

"I can't move on either, Gracie." Karen admitted, her voice soft. She hated opening herself up, allowing people to get inside, but Grace was someone whom she could talk with, and maybe even make feel better about her own predicament. "Yeah, after Stan died I went through hell. I just didn't let others see how torn up inside I was. Oh, and after Lyle I wouldn't leave my room. Only to come to work and act normal, but deep down inside, it hurt. It hurt that he didn't love me. I was vulnerable, even coming in to this relationship with Nathan. I was scared, I had my doubts."

Grace sat in awe. She had never heard Karen dictate her life more soberly, it frightened her. "Wow, Karen," was all she could get out.

"I know." Karen looked up at Grace and smiled. "You'll find someone."

Grace nodded, feeling oddly comforted by what Karen had just stated. Karen, noticing her friends down mood, wrapped her arm around Grace and let her manicured fingers run up and down Grace's silky top. Grace snuggled in to Karen's side, and soon both were comfortably laying together, their attention now focused on some nasty channel Karen had been watching before Grace had entered. Something excited Grace when some blonde girl who looked like a whore in a tight mini skirt, that barely covered her behind, bent over to receive a spanking by another scantily clad woman.

* * *

That night when Nathan arrived at the penthouse, where he was currently residing upon Karen's plea to not be alone, he found a rather comical sight. He came upon Karen curled around Grace, both fast asleep on Karen's bed. And what made the scene even more hysterical was the fact that the TV was on some soft femslash porn channel. He silently went to the TV, somehow knowing that what he was seeing was nothing to worry about, and turned it off. He knew of Karen's fondness for porn and often would watch it with her; why should he complain? Most men would get kicked out of the house for watching porn, but not him. He was forced to watch two women going at it…anyway, he walked quietly to where Karen was laying and kissed her forehead, careful not to wake her or Grace. He knew she needed her sleep and he didn't want to wake her. 

Instead he wondered downstairs in search of some dinner. He encountered Cook in the kitchen and asked when dinner would be ready. Cook said he could have it done in less than twenty minutes. Nathan nodded and went in to the sitting room, poured himself a drink and then found the remote for the big screen TV. He fell in to a seat and turned on Court TV, interested in a court case that had been going on for the last few months.

When he had become so enthralled with the television, he missed the sound of soft foot fall on the marble foyer floor. He jumped when two arms wrapped around him. Glancing up, a look of panic apparent on his face, he found himself staring in to two hazel brown eyes. "Hi, honey." The all too familiar voice chirped and their lips met.

"Karen, you're feeling better?"

"Yeah, a little. I took a little nappie with my friend Gracie." She grinned, sitting on the loveseat beside him.

"So I saw."

"What?" Karen looked around as if the room had just been invaded by aliens.

"I went up there when I got home to check on you and I saw you sound asleep with Grace." He smiled at her sudden confusion.

"Oh," Karen smiled at him, reaching out her hand. He took it and felt her silky skin clasped in his rough hand.

She leaned forward and their lips met. Karen could taste a hint of Jack Daniel's on his breath, and sensually slid her tongue in between his lips, reuniting her mouth with alcohol. Just as the kiss began to deepen, Grace entered.

"Oh, sorry." She began to back away, but Karen shot up and grabbed her.

"Wait, don't go. Do you want to stay for dinner?" She asked.

Grace was taken aback by the invitation, but who could surpass an invitation to dine at the Walker penthouse. Not she. "Sure."

Nathan got up as well and followed the two women in to the dining room, where Cook presented them each with plates full of delicious looking cuisine. Karen ate as if there was no tomorrow, which was definitely a first for Grace, who had never seen her so much as touch a meal. Well she had, on several occasions, but it was awkward to watch her eating like a normal human being. And without a drink in hand the image was especially strange. Nathan seemed to watch Karen's every movement, making sure she was all right. Grace admired him. He was so good to Karen, just what she needed. He kept her grounded. Grace had definitely underestimated him. She was beginning to like him more and more.

TBC...Thankies for the reviews guys! Keep'em coming and the chapters will keep flowing. Lol.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At approximately 1:26 AM, Karen bolted upright in bed, pain shooting through her whole body, something wet between her legs. She removed the sheet to reveal what looked like a dark substance in the moonlight. Karen, not knowing what to do or what was happening, removed herself from the bed, tears welling in her eyes. What was happening?

She knew what the substance was, she wasn't dumb. She could feel the blood drip down her thighs, ankles. She made her way to the bathroom where she turned on the light, not having allowed herself to believe what was happening until she saw the red of the blood. She screamed and fell to the floor, feeling suddenly very faint. Too much blood. This wasn't happening. She rocked back and fourth, her tears falling freely now.

A figure appeared in the door frame. She didn't look up, she knew who it was and she didn't want to see him, not in this state.

"Oh my God." Nathan gasped. "I'm-I'm going to go-go call 911." He backed out of the room, grabbing a cordless phone and then returning to Karen, kneeling down next to her. With the number dialed, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. She buried her face in his chest. Listening as he explained to the operator what was happening. She could see his lips moving, but it was like the sound had been turned off. She couldn't hear him, everything was silent. She could hear her heart beating, her heavy, shaky breathing, but nothing else.

"No…" She exclaimed silently, her head falling back, her mind going blank. She had fainted.

* * *

When Karen awoke she found herself in a hospital. At first, when she opened her eyes she found that everything was white. But soon her vision cleared and she found Nathan beside her. He was clasping her hand for dear life, and he appeared to be in a state of prayer. She turned to him, frowning. "What happened, why am I here?" She demanded. 

Nathan looked up, tears welling in his eyes as he looked in to her beautiful eyes. "You lost it, Karen, you lost the baby."

"What?" Her voice was a whisper. It hit her; the baby whom had been growing inside of her was gone. She refused to believe it, insisting it was a bad dream. Laying her head back she was once again fast asleep.

* * *

"Karen?" She heard voices around her. An absent felling rested inside her stomach. She prayed that this time when she opened her eyes she would be in her own bed, at her own penthouse. It was all a bad dream. Everything had been a dream. Yes, she was dreaming. At home. In her own bed. It was a dream. Dreaming. That was all. When she opened her eyes she would see the ever familiar ceiling, she would roll over in her $5,000 blankets and sheets. 

Why was she so cold? Her eyes came slowly open. "No." She muttered.

"Karen, are you awake?" Nathan was standing over her.

Everything was white again.

"I lost it?" She could hardly say the words without getting choked up.

Nathan slowly nodded.

"Oh God." She rolled over and threw up.

* * *

The days and nights went by and Karen slunk in and out of sleep. The doctor's came and treated her, made sure she was okay. Nathan stayed by her side the entire time. Several times, however when she had been asleep, Jack, or Grace, or Will would come and visit. 

Jack, when he had visited, had seemed so somber, so resigned. He treated Karen as if she were a fragile porcelain doll. He gently touched her cheek, kissed her forehead and then left, unable to handle the seriousness of the situation.

Will didn't know exactly how to conduct himself. He came in, looked at Karen, kissed her cheek, ran his hand through her frazzled hair. She looked so vulnerable, so not Karen. It frightened him.

Grace came, a mess, tears stains, running mascara. When she saw Karen the tears filled her eyes once again. She went to her, almost afraid to touch her. Nathan looked up, from his spot beside Karen. He slowly reached out and took Grace's hand in his own, guiding it to Karen's cheek where he dropped Grace's hand. She focused on where her hand was now touching Karen's face. She looked at her peaceful, sleeping, appearance. She was so innocent, so beautiful. Grace leaned down, pressing her lips to Karen's forehead, her cheek, then finally her lips. Slowly she pulled herself away, her tears returning. Instead of leaving, she ran her hand down Karen's side, taking her other hand in her own. She made that side of the hospital bed her own and stayed until Karen awoke.

Karen registered Grace's face and gave her a weak smile. Grace just looked at her with big, sad eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm hanging in there, honey, hanging in there." Karen squeezed her hand, a hint of her normal sparkle returning to her eye, but only momentarily. The hopeful look disappeared once the weight of the situation reregistered in her mind. She looked from Nathan to Grace, noticing how broken up Grace was. Freeing her hand from Nathan, she gently reached up and stroked Grace's cheek, wiping away the tears. "Don't cry, Gracie, you'll make me cry." Karen bit her lip, afraid the tears would come, afraid to show her weakness.

Grace just nodded, biting her own lip, closing her eyes, hiccupping back her tears. Karen gave her a smile and patted her cheek.

"I love you, Kare."

"I love you too, Gracie." She took her hand which held Grace's in it and kissed Grace's palm.

"It'll be okay." Grace tried to reassure her.

Karen nodded.

Nathan leaned over and brushed Karen's hair out of her face. She returned her hand back to him and then closed her eyes, feeling very sleepy. The medicine they were giving her seemed to have that effect on her.

* * *

When she woke up once again she found Nathan gone and in his place stood someone whom she was not quiet sure she wanted to see. Strangely, her presence in the room made her feel comforted. "Mommy." Karen held out her arms to her mother, who went to her and embraced her. 

"I came as soon as I heard." Lois wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her to her.

Karen nodded and held on to her mother, needing her just at that moment. Despite their past together, Karen realized she needed her mother. One could never get away from their mother, as hard as they tried. And she had tried. But now all barriers she put up were gone and she was almost instantly comforted by her mother's arms wrapped around her. They laid there, together, just holding on to one another. In the silence, Karen felt herself once again drifting off to sleep.

TBC...I expect reviews. Lol. And I will try and get more out as fast as I can, it's just I have NO time to write. So, stick with me. Please. I already have it pretty much planned out, so know that there is more, even if I go missing for a day or two. K? Okay. Review! Lol.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Karen was finally released, she took to her bed, unable to leave it. She went in to a deep depression and supplemented it with alcohol and cigarettes. She was hard, and cold, and deeply, emotionally hurt. Nathan had a hard time connecting with her and she was often irritable. But her moods were so changing, he never knew what to expect. Some days she would be happy, other days she was easily put in to a rage. He wasn't sure he liked this unstable condition she seemed to be in.

One such day, Nathan came home to find Karen drunk out of her mind, lying on her bed. He went to her, kissed her forehead, and took a bottle of gin from her. "You don't have to stick around." She sneered, seeming to be half awake.

Nathan looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Well I thought you didn't want commitment, and now that there's no baby, there's nothing keeping you here." She sighed, reaching for a cigarette.

"You keep me here, Karen." He was heartbroken that she thought that.

"Yeah right, me and my drinking." She rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly want to stick around and watch me drink myself silly?"

"No, of course I don't want to watch you get drunk every day. I don't like it at all."

"Then why are you here?" She asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Because I love you Karen. I thought that meant something." He was beginning to get angry.

"You're lying. You don't love me. You only said so because I was going to have your baby. And now there's no baby, no relationship."

"Whoa, I never said that. And have I left you yet? No, I've stuck around to watch you get all liquored up everyday since you've gotten home from the hospital. I've sat with you every morning when it hurts. Hell, I sat with you in that hospital every waking hour of the day. How dare you tell me I'm lying when I say I love you." He stepped back. "And you know what, if you honestly believe that there is no relationship, then fine. There's no relationship. I'm gone. I'm leaving Karen; I can't watch you drink yourself in to a deeper depression. It's not healthy. You need some help. And obviously I'm not cutting it." With that he walked out the door, leaving Karen speechless.

She didn't know what to do with herself. Tears formed in her eyes, realization settling in. She had just lost another great thing in her life. She struggled with what to do next. Should she roll over and sleep? Call someone? Reach for the almost empty gin bottle?

In the end she curled up in to a tight ball, crying like a baby, not sure what was going to happen tomorrow, or the day after that, or the day after that.

* * *

It was Grace that came to her rescue. After not hearing a word from Karen after she was released from the hospital, Grace began to worry. She wondered if Karen was all right. She hadn't come to the office, not that Grace had expected her to. So after work one night, Grace stopped in to say 'hello'. 

What she found next scared her. Rosario had a worried expression on her face as she answered the door. As they mounted the stairs, Rosario expressed her fears about what sort of state Karen was in. Grace was frightened when they finally reached Karen's door. Rosario quickly opened the door and let Grace in. Grace timidly stepped in. Karen was nowhere in sight. However a slight movement on the bed, made it clear where she was.

"I'll take it from here." Grace whispered to Rosario who nodded and then left. Slowly Grace walked towards the bed. When she got there she found Karen all tangled in the sheets. She was wearing a silky black nightgown, which was falling off her shoulders. Her hair was unkempt and her make-up smeared. "Karen?" Grace asked, stroking the raven haired beauty.

"Gracie. Help me." Karen looked scared, fearful. She was practically shaking. Tears were welling in her eyes. Grace untangled her from the sheets and pulled her to her.

"What's happened Karen? I thought you were hanging in there." Grace whispered, stroking Karen's hair out of her face, which was warm. She wondered if she was sick, or just hot.

"Nathan left." Karen's voice was muffled as she relayed this news to Grace, as her face was buried in Grace's chest.

"What?" Grace asked in complete surprise. "Why?"

"I thought our relationship was over. I was drunk out of my mind, we fought and he left." Karen looked up. "I messed up."

"No, no, honey." Grace shook her head, holding Karen even tighter to her. "You were depressed. I would be to if I lost a child."

"Shh." Karen didn't want to talk about it. Frankly she felt awful about losing the child. She felt like she had led Nathan on, in some sort of twisted way, and then let him down when she miscarried. That's why she was so unsure of the relationship. She was afraid he would just walk away, and he had. But she had provoked it. Now she felt awful and she just wanted to be comforted and not be alone.

Grace's steady rocking back and fourth was helping considerably, and soon Karen's tears were stopped. Grace gently laid Karen back against the pillow and then climbed in to the bed beside her. Karen rested her head on Grace's shoulder like a little child would to her mother. Grace wrapped her arm around Karen and the two sat, neither sure what to say, but feeling oddly comforted by the other.

It was awkward, especially for Grace. She wanted desperately to start a conversation with Karen, but she didn't want to hit on anything Karen didn't want to talk about. So she decided on something safe.

"Are you feeling okay?" Grace asked, lightly pressing her lips to Karen's forehead.

Karen nodded, taking on the persona of a little girl. "I feel okay, I guess. A bit hung over, though."

"Were you drinking a lot?" Grace asked, not sure if that was a subject she should broach. She felt slightly responsible for Karen's down hill fall because she hadn't been there for her. She should have tried harder to go and visit her; she'd procrastinated, put it off, figuring Nathan was capable of handling Ms. Karen Walker. But she was wrong. Nathan obviously hadn't stopped her from drinking her self in to oblivion.

Karen nodded again. She reached out and gently rested her hand on Grace's thing, gently stroking it, playing with the material on Grace's pants. Grace looked down at Karen's hand and watched as it mindlessly traced along her jeans. Without looking up, Karen asked, "Gracie," Here she squinted, but the squint went unnoticed for she was not looking at Grace as she spoke. "Will you help me?"

"Of course, sweetie." Grace jumped on this opportunity. She knew what she needed to do. She needed to get Karen off her alcohol rampage and try to get Nathan back. Well Karen would have to try and get him back, but Grace would sure try and help her.

"Thank you, Grace." Karen whispered, settling in to Grace's side once again, pointing towards the television. Grace nodded and took the remote from the side table, flipping the TV on. She knew she would have to watch Karen's every move, getting Karen off of alcohol was like…well there really was no comparison. But first step was first. Alcohol free and then get Nathan back.

TBC...:D. Thankies for all the reviews guys. Let's see if we can get more. Lol. And the next chapter might not be up for a lil' bit.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Grace practically moved in with Karen, catching her when she slipped, helping her get through the rough times. Karen had her moments, and as hard as it was for Grace to help her through these, she got her through. Every now and then she'd catch Karen in a low point, sitting on the bathroom floor, a cigarette in hand. She was a mess, but soon she began to straighten out. Her normal comical air was beginning to return and Grace could see a drastic change. There were less mood swings, less alcohol. Grace knew that soon she would no longer be needed to care for Ms. Walker. She would have to go about her own business and let Karen patch up her lost relationship.

Somehow Grace knew it wasn't over. Yet, something wasn't sitting right with her. The thought of leaving Karen made her feel empty. She had grown accustomed to sitting around with Karen draped over her, comforting her when she was down, laughing with her when she was up.

It was something, but whatever that something was it had to be ignored. Nathan needed to reenter the scene.

"Karen, I think I'm going to go check on my business. I haven't been there for awhile, I asked Jack to try and cover for me, but we both know how useful that was." They laughed.

"Yes, Jackie's not one to keep shop." Karen chuckled, fingering Grace's hair, which had just been recently pulled back after a long shower. "Well, if you must leave me. I'm feeling much better today. I might take a walk around the penthouse."

Grace smiled, ran her hand down Karen's cheek, and then leaned in for a good bye kiss. "I'll come back later tonight."

"Okay, honey." Karen nodded, shooing her away. "Well go on. I'm going to be fine. I've got Rosie to watch over me. Go."

Grace grinned, and then stepped out of the room, walked briskly down the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the Walker Penthouse. However, her little design shop was not where she was headed at all. Instead, she went first back to Will's apartment. It took her quite a bit of searching to figure out where exactly it was she was going. She went off of little hints Karen had given her.

Back out on the street, she hailed a cab and told the driver where to take her. When they arrived, she stepped out, climbed the stairs to the building, found a name on a plaque which told her which floor to go to, and then climbed on to the elevator. When the door dinged open, Grace stepped out and went to where a secretary was sitting. The secretary looked up, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Nathan Kingsley." Grace smiled.

The secretary pointed towards an office down the hall and Grace followed her finger, beginning to fear what would happen. When she stepped in she found Nathan on the phone with a client. He didn't look up, at least not at first. Instead he went on talking, finally hanging up. When he did, he did not look up but instead began writing something down. Grace cleared her throat, not sure if he hadn't noticed her or didn't want to notice her.

He looked up, however, at the sound and she saw his face soften. He looked relieved to see her. "How is she?" He asked, obviously very concerned.

"Better." Grace shrugged. "She misses you, I can tell."

"I miss her." He admitted. Thank God, Grace thought. He still wanted her. She figured he would have moved on by now, or forgotten about Karen, but she could tell he still had feelings for her.

"You should try talking to her." Grace suggested.

"No, I couldn't." He quickly shook his head. "I mean I failed her."

"What? No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. I let her drink herself silly. I watched her. I didn't try to stop her. I mean how am I supposed to be with her if I can't even care for her?" He was obviously beating himself up about this.

"Oh, no, Nathan. You're inexperienced with her. There's more to Ms. Karen Walker than most think. You didn't know she would do that, you didn't know she could fall in to that dark hole." Grace tried to reassure him. "I'm pretty sure that if you went back to her right now, she would take you back. And you would see a completely different woman. She was just hurt about the baby, and she was as unsure about the relationship as you were." Grace guessed he had been uncertain. He seemed nervous about it all.

Nathan glanced down, not knowing what to say, not really knowing what to do. He had not as much as looked at another woman after he'd stormed out of the Walker penthouse. He spent every waking hour thinking about Karen, he could feel her silky skin pressed against his body. It drove him crazy that he wasn't with her. But he had failed her and he just couldn't go through it again. He didn't trust himself, he felt unworthy.

"I can't." He finally replied. "I just can't."

Grace's shoulders fell, her whole persona dropped. She nodded. "Okay." And then turned, leaving the office, feeling like she had lost. Failed to deliver hope for Karen and Nathan's relationship.

That night she returned to the penthouse. She wasn't as cheerful, but she tried to put on a façade for Karen. She didn't want to see how down she was about her failed meeting with Nathan that day. She wondered how Karen would take it if she knew Nathan didn't want their relationship. Since Karen seemed to be building up the want and the drive to get him back, how was she going to react when he didn't want her?

All Grace could do was cuddle with Karen and act happy for her recovering friend.

TBC...:D See I'm trying to post. When I write chapter 9 I'll post again. :d Thanks for all the reviews guys, you're great.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning Karen awoke to find Jack and Grace talking on the loveseat in her room. She pretended to be asleep, and listened for a moment while they talked. They had obviously not been talking about her, at least at that moment they were not talking about her, but instead they were talking about some guy Jack had hooked up with at a gay bar the night before.

Karen rolled her eyes, not liking that the conversation was not about her. "Doesn't anybody care about me?" She asked in a poutful, self-absorbed way. Springing up in her bed, she brought the sheets up and around herself so it made it look like she was peeking out of a tent. Grace and Jack immediately turned to find their friend wide awake.

They smiled at one another and then jumped up, racing for the bed. Both climbed on either side of Karen and the trio fell backwards on to the soft luscious pillows at the head of the bed.

"You're finally up. I thought you were going to sleep until twelve." Grace joked, turning to face Karen.

"Oh, honey, I could if I wanted to." Karen grinned. She looked at her Jackie and smiled. "Hey, Jackie. I haven't seen you around for awhile." She smiled at him.

"I know. G invited me over this morning. She thought we could spend a day in bed watching Lifetime, getting manicures, you know, doing all that girlie stuff us girls love to do." Jack grinned.

"That sounds like fun!" Karen exclaimed as Jack bounced up.

"I know." Jack clapped his hands together. "I'll find the remote." He smiled and then began his search for the television remote.

Karen turned to Grace and smiled. "I know about what you did yesterday."

"Wha-how?" Grace frowned. How was it that Karen seemed to know everything?

"I had Driver follow you." Karen shrugged.

"I never saw a limo behind me." Grace tried to remember if she had seen any one suspicious, but she couldn't recollect anything other than being let down by Nathan. She hoped Karen didn't know about that.

"Oh, no, honey. I made him ride a bike."

"But he's like eighty years old!" Grace exclaimed.

Karen frowned. "So?"

Grace searched for a way to defend Driver, but nothing came so she just decided to drop it. "Never mind."

"Well anyway, honey, I don't mind that you went, but could you just let it be. I mean I don't even know if I want to get back together with him. I mean, I miss him, I do, it's just…well...there has to be somebody else out there. He was too young anyway." Karen was lying, Grace could tell, but she let it slide. Karen wanted him back. She missed him more than she could even begin to express, if she could express…but she wouldn't admit it.

Grace just nodded as Jack jumped back in to the bed. "Found it!" He grinned, flipping on the television, surfing through the channels until he found Lifetime. The three of them laid, watching some movie about a woman who was beat by her husband and then escaped to Florida where she took on a new identity and met a new man. The three were so entranced by the movie; they didn't notice the figure standing in the doorway of Karen's room.

* * *

Nathan had gone home unsure, uncertain of where he stood on anything. He sat down on his couch, hid mind swimming in all the thoughts that were rolling around in his head. He kept turning the situation over and over and he began to notice that he was sitting in silence, in half darkness; for the hallway light was on and the dimming sun pushed its way through the blinds in his living room. He was alone. Completely alone. 

He didn't have to be alone, he realized. There was someone else out there, someone waiting for him to go to her. It had been she who had pushed him away, but now he realized, with the help of Grace's perspective, that the women he loved, loved so desperately that he wouldn't give any other woman a second glance, was waiting for him. She was waiting for him to come to her, and take her back.

Of course he had failed her, but it had been the first time. He knew what he needed to do this time. He needed to be there for her, be there like Grace had been there. He knew Grace had helped her through this, and now he needed to be her saving grace.

He needed Karen Walker as much as she needed him.

The following events came from this sudden realization. He could never love another. As long as he lived. He had to be with Karen.

And the next day when he stepped in to the Walker penthouse, he was not the least bit nervous.

* * *

The form in the doorway advanced inwards, Karen noticed. Her attention quickly went to the person standing in her room. 

"What is it Rosie? Can't you see we're watching a movie?" Karen demanded, taking Jack and Grace's attention away from the television.

"There's someone here who wants to see you, privately." Rosario barked.

Karen frowned, looking from Jack to Grace. Grace shrugged and then nodded for her to go. Karen, unsure, pulled herself from the bed and followed Rosario to the penthouse's sitting room. Rosario opened the door to allow Karen to enter, and then gently closed it behind her.

Karen froze upon seeing Nathan, who had been pacing the room. She wasn't sure if she was happy, sad, relieved, angry…she just couldn't tell. But she knew she wanted to run up to him and grab him to her, kiss him like there was no tomorrow. But she stayed frozen, waiting to hear what Mr. Kingsley had to say.

Nathan had stopped his pacing once Karen had entered and his eyes had fallen on her beautiful face. He had forgotten just how beautiful Karen was. Just seeing her sent a shiver down his spine.

Nathan stepped forward. Unable to stop himself from touching her, feeling her skin beneath his fingers, he reached out and stroked the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered closed, remembering the feeling of his hands roaming over her body. She waited for a kiss, but the kiss never came. Instead she heard him clear his throat, drop his hand. She had lost contact with him, but her eyes remained closed. She half expected that when she opened them he would be gone, however she could not have been more wrong.

"I'm sorry." She heard him say, his voice hardly above a whisper. "I should have been there for you and I wasn't. I know. But…" Her eyes began to slowly come open, but she didn't see Nathan standing in front of her. She didn't see Nathan standing anywhere in the room. However she did see him down on one knee right in front of her.

Karen's heart practically stopped, skipped a beat. She couldn't breath. Was this really happening?

"But Karen, I want you more than anything. You're constantly on my mind and if I ever lost you, well I would be nothing. My life would mean nothing. I need you. And I want to love you like no other man has ever loved you. I want to care for you. I'll get better, I promise. I know I was the worst boyfriend, to just walk out on you when you needed me the most. But now I want to always be here for you. Karen, will you marry me?" With that he opened the jewelry case he had produced from his pocket to reveal the most gorgeous diamond Karen had ever seen in her life.

A hand immediately went to her lips, she was completely shocked. "Oh my God." She finally exclaimed, a smile forming at her lips. "Yes, yes of course I'll marry you." She smiled and he pulled the ring from it's velvet lined case and slipped it on her finger, just as Jack and Grace came bursting through the sitting room's doors.

"Karen's getting married!" Jack exclaimed, jumping up and down. Both had been listening at the door, obviously. Karen just smiled at them. Grace joined Jack in his celebratory dance and they watched as Karen and Nathan met lips for one of the longest kisses they had ever witnessed in their lives.

Jack leaned over to Grace and whispered, "I've been on dates shorter than this kiss."

"Me, too." Grace and Jack began to watch in awe at the lip locked couple in front of them.

Grace was just glad to see Karen happy again. She knew she had influenced this in more ways than one and she felt very pleased with herself. Yet, there was still something bugging her.

TBC...even though i don't have chapter 9 written I thought I would give you the already written chapter 8 that I have been withholding from you. I don't know when chapter 9 will be ready, but if it's any consolation, it is half written, okay maybe 1/4 of the way written. Just give me lots of reviews and I'll see what I can do. Lol


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The day was filled with white. The snow had begun to fall the previous night and by that morning, the streets were painted in white blankets of snow. Karen awoke, feeling as if the moment present was surreal, not like a normal moment. She took a moment to glance out her bedroom window and down at the park below. It was absolutely gorgeous in the winter. The snow blanketed the trees, the ground, everywhere there was snow, and even more descended from the sky above.

She could not have been happier to be wed on a snowy day. It was beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful.

Karen had been the first up. She stepped carefully over Will, who had fallen asleep beside Jack on the ground beside Karen's bed. They had shared a night, their last night as all being singles. Grace had occupied the space beside Karen the night before. She had seemed rather clingy and unwanting for the night to be over and the morning to come, but it had. Rather Grace wanted it or not, Karen's wedding day had come.

Nathan would probably just be getting up. His own friends would be around him, maybe they were hung over, Karen didn't really know. She had only heard snippets of what they were planning to do the night before. Frankly she didn't care what they had done because Nathan had called her every hour, on the hour, to make sure she knew he wasn't doing anything he shouldn't be.

She loved him for his loyalty and his honesty. Karen herself had barely touched the alcohol which had been passed around the night before. She wanted to have a fresh, open mind the morning of her wedding. She didn't want to have a buzz going during the wedding either. She wanted this to be memorable, something that wasn't hidden in her past by a deep haze which seemed to hang over her past recollections.

More than anything, Karen wanted to see Nathan, she wanted to be with him. She couldn't wait all day to finally walk down the aisle and see him for the first time that day, she wanted to see him, or at least talk to him. She settled for the latter, grabbing her phone from its place beside the bed. Sneaking in to the bathroom, she dialed his cell phone number.

He picked up on the third ring. "Morning sunshine." He purred in to the phone.

Karen smiled, lightly running a hand across her chest. "Morning handsome." Karen lowered her voice, using her seductive charm.

"I was hoping you would call. I've been dying to talk to you." He seemed as relieved as she was to hear the others voice.

"Me, too, honey. I don't think I can wait all day to see you." Karen whined.

"Me either, but I promise that after the ceremony you'll never have to go without seeing me for an entire day. And I won't have to go an entire day without seeing you either. At least we can still talk to each other." He reminded her. "Call me if you need to."

"I will." Karen let her fingers play in her wild morning hair, which would soon be styled and readied for the wedding.

"I love you, Karen Walker." He grinned.

"I love you." Karen smiled, just as she heard someone rouse from sleep in her bedroom. "Oh, honey I'd better go. Someone's up."

"Okay, I'll call you later." They hung up, just as Grace appeared in the bathroom doorway. She looked a little pale, and maybe just a bit hung over.

Karen extended her arms to Grace, who stumbled over to Karen falling in to a sitting position beside her.

"What's wrong with you, honey?" Karen asked, stroking the crazy red heads morning bed head.

Grace yawned, resting her head on Karen's lap. She shrugged, not really sure what was bugging her. At least she had never let herself face what was really bugging her. "I don't know." She articulated, slowly, unsure of herself.

Karen frowned. "Because you've been acting a little clingy lately."

"I guess," Grace was about to admit something. In the early hours of the morning everything seemed different, strange, and most likely more so because of the buzzed state she was in. The alcohol had definitely left a lasting impression on her and she seemed almost fearless. "I guess I like being with you. And I know that once Nathan is in the picture, I won't be. At least not as much."

"Wait," Karen paused, glanced around her bathroom, "…so…honey…you're telling me that…you're jealous of…Nathan?" Karen gave Grace a confused look.

Grace thought this over. "I guess I am."

"Soooo...you…like…me?" Karen asked, looking down in to Grace's hazy eyes.

Grace considered this for a moment. Why was she doing this now? This was selfish. It was Karen's wedding day and she was just now revealing her feelings. "I guess I do." Grace slowly turned away and moved to stand up.

Karen grabbed her, bringing her back down on to the ground. "You can't do that." Karen looked angry. "You can't do that! I am in love with Nathan, and now all of the sudden you find it necessary to tell me that you like me, and that you probably have feelings for me?"

"It's not like that Karen…I'm not like that." Grace inwardly scolded herself for having even said anything.

Karen looked at her. Nothing was going to ruin her wedding day, but this sudden news seemed to change things, just a bit.

"Karen, listen, I'm not trying to stop you. It's selfish of me, okay? I'm selfish. I get possessive, I guess." Grace shrugged, trying to get away from Karen, feeling rather awkward.

Karen's demeanor seemed to change. She looked thoughtfully at Grace, placed her hand gently on Grace's cheek. Grace searched Karen's face, trying to find what she was up to, what she was doing. Suddenly Karen leaned in, captured Grace's lips in her own, and kissed her. "Honey, I will always love you, you know that. Nothing has to change between us." Karen assured her as they pulled away, their foreheads touching; Grace feeling strangely assured that everything was fine.

* * *

After that strange moment, the day seemed to go by without a hitch. Karen called in Stylist to get her hair washed, dried, combed, and styled. She looked absolutely gorgeous by the time Make-up Artist was finished with her. Her hair hung loosely down around her face in tight curls, her eyes looked beautiful with the gentle eyeliner Make-up Artist had used. She looked beautiful. Grace had sat and watched as they beautified her. It was an amazing transformation. She liked watching it all happen. But soon it was her turn to get beautified. She was sat down in a chair and given practically the same treatment as Karen had just received. 

Karen took this moment to steal away and call Nathan. She felt good, yet slightly concerned about Grace's early morning confession. She had just brushed it off, trying to make it look like it hadn't of effected her, but deep down inside it did. She had always liked Grace, and at some points probably was in love with her. When they had kissed she'd always felt something, but she had never let herself confront these feelings. Grace was her boss, not her lover. And she was more of a friend, a very close friend, who, through it all, was usually always there for her when she needed her.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed after letting herself think it through, she quickly found comfort in dialing Nathan's number. The phone rang several times, more than it should have, but finally Nathan answered.

"Sorry, baby. I had to get away from the boys. They'd kill me if they knew I'd talked to you." He laughed.

Karen smiled, his voice always a comfort. Yes, she loved Nathan…but were there feelings for Grace too? Was it possible to love too people at the same time?

"What's going on?" Nathan interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Oh, nothing honey. I just wanted to hear your voice." She closed her eyes and sunk down on to a chair. "I just got my hair and face done."

"I bet you look beautiful, as always." She could hear his smile, and his want to see her, be with her. She wanted that too.

"What're you doin'?" Karen asked, twirling a stray strand of hair, and then thinking better of it and dropping her hand. She didn't want to ruin her do.

"Oh, getting ready. The guys are trying to get me to put make-up on." He laughed.

"I bet you'll look stunning in make-up." Karen giggled.

"I'm sure I would."

"Well, I'd better go see how Grace is getting along with her make-up and hair."

"Okay. And, sweetheart, I'll be seeing you in a little less than four hours." He'd been keeping track, how cute.

"Okay, honey. I love you." Karen grinned

"I love you." They hung up and Karen returned to her bathroom where Grace was getting made up. She seemed to be enjoying herself, Karen noted. However, being in Grace's presence now seemed a bit awkward.

"Hey Gracie." Karen tried for a light air.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Grace asked, realizing Karen had been absent for the last few minutes.

"Oh, Jackie called." Karen lied. Grace nodded in understanding. Make-up Artist was almost finished with her and she looked gorgeous. Karen couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Grace, who had her eyes shut so Make-up Artist could put on eye-shadow. She studied Grace, really looked at her. She was a beautiful woman, sometimes rather selfish, but underneath it all she was good. She'd been there for Karen when she needed someone the most. Nathan had just left. Of course he had had no idea what to do, but Grace seemed to have that motherly edge.

No, she couldn't think like this. Today she was marrying Nathan. She loved Nathan. She wanted to be with Nathan.

* * *

Before Karen knew it she was being whisked away and put in to her wedding gown. It was beautiful, more beautiful than the one she had worn at her wedding to Lyle. Partially because this time Nathan had come with her to pick out the dress and had insisted she get this particle one. She loved it, it felt great and she looked great in it. 

She was beginning to panic, but only a little bit. Weddings always made her a little panicked, well they did when she wasn't smashed. This wedding she was not, but by the time she stepped in to her wedding dress, literally less than an hour away from the wedding, she was craving that all too familiar burn that vodka gave one as it went down the back of her throat. In order to keep herself from racing to her mini-bar, she pulled her cell phone out and called Nathan, whose voice reassured her that everything was fine, and that the wedding was almost there.

* * *

Nathan was right. Before to long, Karen was walking down the aisle, Jack on her arm, as they had decided. Will and Grace had gone in before them, and Karen watched as they took their places on either side of the alter. She saw Nathan's face for the first time that day and her whole persona seemed to light up. She was glad to reach the alter and unleash Jack from her grasp. Jack took his spot behind Will, who was standing behind the best man, one of Nathan's friends named Stephen. Grace was the maid of honor, and behind her stood some of Karen's other friends. Grace hadn't known Karen had had so many friends, but Karen was always a surprise. 

The preacher began his long spiel about marriage, a long spiel Karen should have known by heart, but had never really listened to in any of her past marriages. This time she was once again too captivated, captivated by Nathan's eyes which were staring right back in to her own. She almost missed the part where she said "I do". All thoughts of that morning and how strange it had been seemed to disappear and thoughts of what Karen wanted to do to Nathan returned. She had plans for that night. Big plans.

She felt Nathan slipping the ring on to her finger. She didn't even look down, just continued to study his face. After the preacher was done with the exchanging of the vows, he finally said the words that Karen had been longing to hear. "You may now kiss the bride."

Karen leaned forward and up, meeting and locking lips with the man she was now married to. Their lips did not come apart for quite awhile. The preacher ended up saying, "I know pronounce you man and wife," before they parted.

Grace stood, smiling, hiding her envy. She wasn't sure what she was envious of. Maybe it was the fact that Karen found Mr. Right and she hadn't, or the fact that Nathan had found Karen. Either way she felt selfish, and hoped that Karen didn't remember too much of that mornings conversation. Probably by now Karen had forgotten all about it. All about Grace's confession she had made in a moment of weakness.

* * *

The party afterwards was the same-old, same-old. The cutting of the cake, the mingling with guests, the chicken dance, and all the other wedding ceremony rituals. It was all a blur to Karen, who stayed half the night on Nathan's arm, staring dreamily at him, wanting more than anything to get him by himself and have at him. 

She had several drinks, but not enough to give her a drunk edge. Grace seemed to avoid her most of the night, and in fact disappeared after awhile. Karen, in need of a distraction from her sexual thoughts, tore herself away from Nathan and went in search of Grace.

Karen found Grace alone, sitting in the bathroom on a love seat, staring off in to space. "What are you doing?" Karen asked, sitting down beside the lovely red head who didn't move an inch upon noticing Karen. "Your husband's out there dancing with Homo McFarland." Karen tried to get Grace to smile, and for a second there was a smile, but it faded. "What's wrong, honey?" Karen asked, sipping her champagne and staring at the beautiful woman beside her.

"Nothing." Grace shrugged.

"Honey, if it's about this morning, it's okay. And you know I love you." Karen rested her head on Grace's shoulder after kissing her cheek gently.

Grace processed this. She let her hand stroke Karen's cheek. "I know." And all feelings she had felt for Karen, all the strong ones at least, seemed to fade away. She could only ever love Karen as a best friend, a sister, and she was beginning to except the fact that she liked it that way.

So with everything settled between them…the rest of the wedding ceremony was spent with the fag four breaking it down and dancing the night away. But the best part, at least for Karen, was what happened after the ceremony…

TBC...yay! Worst chapter ever! Next one should be better. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Karen and Nathan finally got in to their hotel room after the ceremony, Nathan quickly stripped himself of clothing, waiting for Karen to do the same. Both were so desperately in want of the other. Everything was arousing. Every touch, kiss, hint of warmth, skin against skin, it drove Karen crazy. Nathan had already been driven crazy by Karen on their way to the hotel and had already risen to the occasion. They went at it with a mad passion. Arms, legs, hair, breasts, everything flew in every which direction. It was the most frantic, unfulfilling sex they had had, but it was great. It got all that built of sexual tension out.

It was over far too soon, but both felt satisfied with the other, just having that contact. Their need for one another had definitely shown through. Before going at it once again, they took a break. Karen needed a shower to get all her caked on make-up off and styling products out of her hair. Both headed in to the bathroom, kissing and touching as they went. Karen stepped in to the glass shower, turning on the water. When she got it to the right temperature, she began pressing her breasts and lips against the glass, driving Nathan, who was busy doing his business, crazy. He soon joined her in the shower, running his hands all over her slippery wet skin, kissing her smooth skin which was even smoother in the shower. He ran a bar of soap all over her, making sure she was clean, before the duo stepped out of the shower. Karen used this time to please her man, running her hand up and down his back, wrapping a towel around his waist, kissing his neck, teasing at his ears.

They headed back out to the bedroom, feeling clean and ready to perform. Karen fell back on the bed, working Nathan up so that he could present. Nathan crawled on top of her, running his hands up and down her soap scented skin, kissing every nock and cranny of her body. He teased at her nipple with his tongue, sending her in to momentary bliss. She cried out, madly grabbing at him, wanting him to get inside of her.

He soon complied, but this was not the frantic sex they had just shared. This was of the fulfilling nature. It was all sensual. Their eyes stayed locked on one another, making sure the other was enjoying it as much as they were. Tempos changed, positions sometimes changed. As before they breezed over climaxes, shakily regaining their drives, but soon it passed and they were right back at it. An occasional kiss when the tempo was slow, some butt grabbing when the tempo was fast, hand holding during a medium pace. It must have gone on forever, but as all sexual encounters, this could not continue much longer.

Nathan drove it home with a big bang. Karen cried out and then fell back in to the bed. Nathan rolled over beside her, kissing her desperately, wantonly. Sweat had broken out on both's bodies, and heat radiated from them. Karen ran her hand over her breasts, feeling very sexual at that moment.

They were perfect together. Every time they got in bed together they were always satisfied, and it was because they knew how to satisfy each others needs.

Karen took it upon herself to get out the handcuffs for a little S&M, before another round of amazing sex. She always liked to play with Nathan and he sure liked it. But as she was about to do a little oral job on Nathan a sudden thought hit her. The thought had to do with Grace, and all of the sudden her sex drive was gone. She rolled over on to the bed.

"What just happened?" Nathan asked, feeling sexually unsatisfied. He needed to get off somehow.

"Oh, sorry." Karen reached down and grabbed his member and began giving him a hand job, almost absently. "I was just thinking about Grace."

"What about her, and why now?" Nathan moaned.

"I don't know, honey. This morning she admitted to me that she had feelings for me, and I feel bad now."

"Why?" Nathan squinted as he almost came to his edge. "Do you have feelings for her?"

Karen frowned, thinking this over. "Not in so many words, but yes."

"Are you going to leave me for her?" Nathan queried.

"Honey, no." Karen scoffed at such an idea.

"Then why are you worried about it?" Nathan asked, pulling Karen's hand away from his man part.

"I don't really know. I guess it was just bothering me." Karen shrugged, cuddling up close to Nathan. She knew she could talk to him about anything and he'd be open about it. He never judged her, he knew she had a leaning towards the ladies, and frankly he just wanted her to be happy.

"Bothering you why?" Nathan asked, delicately kissing each one of Karen's fingers.

"Well, I feel like I'm somehow neglecting her."

"You're not, baby. Tomorrow we're going to that little Hawaiian Island, where we're going to honeymoon and have a great time, plus great sex. Don't worry about her. She understands you have needs and that you love me. I'm sure she also knows that you love her, so you're not neglecting her, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead.

"You're sure?" Karen wanted to be just a bit more reassured.

Nathan nodded. "Yes. Now, can we get on with what you were about to do, but suddenly stopped."

"Oh, right. Yes, honey, whatever you want." Karen straddled him, giving him a sensual look, lowering her mouth to his growing erection, while still maintaining eye contact. "You like that, don't you?" She squealed, laughing as she began giving him a blow job.

* * *

The next morning they were on an airplane headed to that small island where Nathan had rented a massive summer house for his and Karen's use. The plane ride was almost unbearable, as they were unable to express their urgent want for more sex, despite having had sex all of the previous night. 

Karen glanced out the window, her hand resting gently on Nathan's thigh. She wondered if they would always want each other in this way. If they would always be ready to throw the other on to a bed and make wild, passionate love. She wondered if it would ever get boring. She sure hoped not.

"Karen." Nathan's voice adverted her attention back to him. "Karen, I have to go to the bathroom." He whispered.

She nodded and released her hand from his thigh. He leaned in and kissed her, kissed her with a longing desire to go further than just a kiss. He got up, and made his way to the back of the plane. Karen ordered another drink to suppress her sexual frustration. She knew why he had gone to the bathroom, and she wished she could have gone along, but nowadays there was only one person allowed in the bathroom and besides, doing it in an airplane bathroom was no longer appealing. Karen had been there, done that.

She received her drink from a flight attendant, and sat, absently stirring it with the little plastic straw that came with. She sipped it, wincing at the awful drink. The damn airlines never knew how to mix a drink. It took a trained professional, like herself, to make a drink. She longed to be home with her mini-bar.

She laughed at herself. How addicted had she become? Longing to be home by her booze supply? What happened to longing to be home to see her friends? She wondered what Will and Grace were doing, or if Jack was getting along without her. The last time she had seen Jack had been at the reception, the night before. They'd danced together and then shared a kiss right before he'd left. She was sure he was getting along fine without her. Maybe he had even filled in for her at Grace's design firm. He had done that before. It would keep him occupied enough until Karen got home.

Aw, Gracie. Karen wondered what she was doing. She partially hoped that she was out looking for a guy. She'd hardly looked after Leo and she had gotten a divorce. Maybe Karen could set her up when she got back. Yes, they could spend the day together and then go to a local bar and hook Grace up with somebody. Wilma could tag along too. Karen had hardly seen Will in the last few months. She really needed to go visit them more often. Maybe they could all have a nice little dinner at Will's when she got back.

Yeah, see. Karen didn't need to focus on getting back to her booze supply. She had her friends to think about. And a new husband to focus some attention on. Speaking of her new husband, he returned from the bathroom, falling down in to the seat beside Karen. They kissed, entwined hands. Karen sat her drink down and rested her head on Nathan's shoulder. The rest of the plane ride was rather boring, but it gave them time to talk about things for they both knew that when they got to the little Hawaiian Island and the summer house, there would be no talk.

* * *

Grace came out of her room and smiled when she saw Will cooking breakfast in the kitchen. 

"Morning beautiful." Will smiled, flipping a pancake and then setting the pan back down on the burner.

Grace grinned and stepped in to the kitchen, exchanging a quick kiss with Will.

"Did you sleep well?" Will asked, watching as Grace pulled a water bottle from the refrigerator.

"Yeah." Grace nodded, heading to the kitchen table where she flopped down and opened her bottle of water. "That reception last night was a blast. I hope Karen and Nathan are having fun."

"I'm sure they are. Right now they're on a plane to some remote Hawaiian Island."

"I know." Grace nodded, as Will set a pancake down in front of her. She began buttering and pouring syrup on it. "This sucks."

"What?" Will queried.

"That they're on their way to a romantic few days at some summer home in Hawaii and we're stuck here." Grace stabbed her fork in to the pancake.

"I know. If only I could find the love of my life, get married to him and then jet off to some tropical place and have amazing sex every five minutes." Will and Grace took this moment to fantasize about what that would be like.

Jack bursting through the door adverted their thoughts of warm days and warms nights with lovely men by their sides. "Hey everybody!" Jack chimed, entering and sitting down at the table by Grace. "Where' my pancakes, Will!" Jack demanded, then retained a smile. "Last night was amazing. I got this guys phone number…and well he kind of slept over." He giggled and Grace rolled her eyes just as Will sat a plate of pancakes in front of Jack.

"I didn't know there were other gay men at Karen's wedding." Will, who was ever oblivious to the men around him, raised his brow.

Jack laughed. "There weren't." He burst in to a tyrant of giggles.

Grace joined in. "If only I could pick up a guy." She shook her head.

"Well you would if you hadn't of been hanging all over Karen last night." Will said absently.

Grace lowered her head, still slightly embarrassed by her previous feelings she had had for Karen. "Shut up." She quickly retaliated. "We got close, you know, we bonded. I just wanted to spend some time with her before she shipped off to some remote island in Hawaii."

Will frowned at her, but let it slip. "Well, whatever. I say we all go out tonight. Do you guys want to see a movie?"

"Oh, well I can't. I kind of have another date."

"With the same guy?" Will inquired.

Jack laughed, "Oh, Will." He pointed. "You're funny."

"I'll see a movie with you." Grace, having nothing better to do, complied.

"Okay." Will smiled.

"You two really need to stop dating one another if you're ever going to get into another relationship." Jack licked his fork clean.

"Okay, when did you become the relationship expert?" Grace gave him a confused look.

"Well it's true. It's always Will and Grace…Will and Grace…Will and Grace…At least I don't let Karen take over my personal life." Jack stood up and paraded to the door. "Later lovers." With that he left.

'When did he become so harsh?" Will frowned at the door Jack had just exited through.

"When did he become so right? Will, we need to start seeing people." Grace looked at him.

"So…no movie tonight?"

* * *

When Karen and Nathan finally arrived at the summer house they were both in heat. Before they could get in to the front door, they were already undressing each other. They ended up trying out every bed in the house, the front foyer linoleum, a whirlpool bathtub, the back patio, the hot tub, the dining room table, and finally the shower. 

Once they got themselves cleaned up and properly dressed they headed in to town for a beautiful dinner at a rather upscale, fancy restaurant. Over a wonderfully presented dinner, the couple talked it up, fed one another, played footsie under the table, and held hands. It was so lovely, better than any honeymoon Karen could ever recollect having had with any of her past marriages.

When they returned to the summer house, Nathan made a fire in the fireplace and the duo, after a sexual adventure on the carpet, laid together under a blanket. They lay, sipping champagne, feeling the other's skin against their own naked skin. Nathan ran his hand up and down Karen's bare shoulder, kissing her shoulder, neck, nibbling at her ear. She smiled, turning so she could capture his lips in her own.

The rest of the honeymoon carried on much like this. By the time they had left they had covered every inch of the summer house and both radiated with sex. The plane ride home wasn't as bad as the plane ride there. They both set, enjoying some talk for a change.

However Karen knew something. She'd been sure about it for the last few days, well not really sure, but she had an inkling. And it scared her.

TBC...:D. I'm expecting mucho reviews. Lol. Don't you want to know what happens next? Will Karen go sleep with Grace...what? Lol. Just throwing you off...or am I?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Karen had to know for sure. Her womanly instinct was kicking in.

She arrived at Will's apartment door, completely nervous. She didn't know what to say, or what to do. But she knew she needed the companionship of the person on the other side of the door.

After smoothing her skirt and checking her hair once again in her powder case mirror, she knocked on the door.

She couldn't believe she was doing this.

The person she was expecting to see opened the door and flashed her a winsome smile.

"Grace isn't here, you know that. She's at work." Will asked.

"Oh, honey I know. I mean come on, I work for her." Karen rolled her eyes and laughed as she pushed her way through the door and in to the apartment. "Listen honey, I need a favor."

"What now, Karen?" Will's face looked wearied by the burden which was now sitting on his couch. He took his time closing the door, before crossing to the kitchen where he got a water bottle out of the refrigerator. "Anything for you?" He asked absently.

"No." Karen shook her head.

Will gave her a puzzled look, but thought better of it, and exited the kitchen, taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch.

"Well, what do you need me to do?" Will asked, crossing his legs as he opened the bottle.

"Well, honey, I was kind of wondering if you would come with me."

"Come with you where?" Will was completely confused by now. Karen never asked him to go with her anywhere. "And why don't you take your new hubby with you? Why do I have to go?"

Karen shifted uneasily in her seat, delicately moving a bang out of her face with her right ring finger. "Well…um…we never spend anytime together?" She winced as she delivered the line.

"No," Will shook his head. "No, I am not going with you."

"Why not!" Karen's mouth gapped open.

"Because." Will protested, not really knowing why he was dragging his heels.

"Please." She put on her most child like poor-me face and Will shook his head.

"Well, if it's so important to you, I guess I'll go." Will rolled his eyes and got up. "I'm just going to go get changed and then we'll go. Where ever it is we're going."

"Yay!" Karen clapped her hands and smiled after Will. She was glad he was coming with her. Something about his presence always gave her a reassuring feeling. She was glad he was tagging along.

When Will finally emerged from his room he opened the door for Karen and out they went. When they got in to the limo, driver seemed to know exactly where he was going without Karen having to say a word.

The two of them sat in the back, hardly saying a word to the other. Will was still slightly angry about having Karen talk him in to coming with her, but when he happened to glance over, he noticed Karen looked rather panicked. She was staring out the window, her hair half up; the rest cascaded down her neck. She was unknowingly fidgeting with the hem of her skirt and the corner of her mouth moved ever so slightly as if she were deep in thought.

Will frowned. Something was going on. This was not normal Karen behavior. Something must have really been bugging her.

Karen suddenly turned, a smile forming on her face. "Thanks for coming, honey."

Will nodded. "No problem." He continued frowning. "You're sure you're okay?"

"What?" Karen gave him a light, yet confused smile. "Honey, I'm fine." She shrugged.

When they finally arrived, Karen slipped out of the limo, followed by an extremely confused Will. What was Karen doing here? He wondered. They went in, up the elevator, and to an office. Once they were inside, Karen was practically whisked away in to a room. It seemed her name and known richness got her special treatment. Will followed her in and frowned. What was all this about?

After a nurse came in, did all the normal check-up procedures, and then left. Karen crossed her legs, folded her hands over her knee, and then rocked back and fourth, trying to avoid Will who was sitting in the extra chair in the room staring at her, his mouth gapped open. He seemed to be putting the pieces together. And if he said anything it would make it real and Karen was afraid that it was real and that it would be lost again.

Will started to speak, but Karen shushed him. "Don't talk." Karen continued to look everywhere except for over at Will.

Will seemed to sense that Karen actually did want him to talk, to comfort her. Why else would she have invited him to come along? She needed someone, she was scared, and he was there to help her through. He understood her logic. Sometimes Karen Walker actually had more sense than Will gave her credit for.

"Karen, it's going to be all right." Will offered.

"You can't say that." Karen snapped, giving him a testy look.

Will held back, but then got up, took her hand in his own and held it. He held on to her, let her know he was there and supported her. She slowly allowed him to do this, feeling better, more secure. Yet there was still that doubt hovering over her.

The doctor came in. Will retreated to his seat and watched as the doctor had Karen lie back on the bed. She looked frightened, unsteady. The doctor began talking to her in a soothing sort of way to get her to relax. She just nodded, the fear never leaving her face. Once the tests had been completed, the doctor left the room. Moments later he came back, and smiled. "Congratulations, you're pregnant."

Karen just nodded, neither sadness nor happiness registering on her face. She was just blasé about it. The doctor went to the counter top and set his clipboard down, flipping it open and reviewing some notes. He noticed the miscarriage in the documents. Just as he was about to say something, Karen worked up the courage to ask.

"What are the chances I'll miscarry again?"

"Mrs. Walker, can I be frank with you?" The doctor turned in his rolling chair, pushed his glasses down his nose and stared over them at Karen who nodded. "You're over thirty-five, which puts the pregnancy at a higher risk, however a miscarriage is not likely."

Those words seemed to lift burdens off of Karen's shoulders. There was hope. But it still frightened her. She wasn't quite to her first month of pregnancy, so she would have to wait, and she knew she wouldn't believe there was actually a child growing inside of her until she got through the first few months without a problem and then delivered a healthy baby at the end of nine months. So, still shaken, she got off the table, with Will's help. Will wrapped his arm around her back and the two walked out to the limo. Once inside Will grabbed on to Karen's hand.

Karen looked at him and smiled. "Thanks."

"It's no problem Karen." Will gave her a smile. "Hey, why don't you have dinner at my place tonight? We can have a dinner like we used to have with Grace and Jack!"

"Yeah, honey, that sounds like fun." Karen grinned, feeling her spirits rising again. She couldn't wait to have dinner with her friends.

When they got back to Will's apartment, Karen stood idle in the kitchen, watching as Will began preparing food. She loved watching his meticulous motions as he cooked. He glanced over at her once in awhile, watching her face as she watched him work his magic. He frowned, something was missing from her character. Ah yes, a drink. Will set his sautéing dish down and went to the refrigerator, pulling out a water bottle. He handed it to her and she held it in her hands.

This was what she was reduced to. Drinking actual, flavorless water. She glanced at the bottle, then down at her stomach. She knew changes had to be made. She wanted this child to work.

Carefully she unscrewed the lid and gingerly placed her lips on the bottle, sipping the cold substance. Water, it tasted like water. She shrugged and drank some more, her attention going back to Will.

"How was my Gracie while I was gone?" Karen asked, moving to the other side of the kitchen and sitting on the countertop.

"Good. I think she missed you, but she got over it. She's seeing someone; I forgot what his name is. He's really nice. I've met him once her twice."

"Cute." Karen was glad to find out that Grace had moved on.

Will was dying to press Karen about how it felt to be pregnant, but he knew he shouldn't try out the subject. She obviously was very uneasy about it all. He knew she was scared about it. She probably wouldn't tell anyone about it either, not until she knew for sure it was going to happen. It was their little secret. There was an unspoken pact between them; he knew not to mention a word of it to Grace or Jack, or anyone for that matter. He was sure Nathan would know in due time.

Easy conversation flowed throughout the course of preparing the meal. Karen and Will's bonding time, however, was cute short by Jack, who came bouncing in. He strode up to Karen, after making a few snide remarks to Will, and wrapped his arms securely around her shoulders, the two exchanging a peck on the lips.

"Oh, Jackie. I missed you while I was away." Karen sighed, allowing him to help her down off the counter. The two went in to the living room and sat on the couch. Jack seemed not to notice the absence of her normal drink or what was in its place.

"I missed you, too, Kare. But Grace and I got along swimmingly at the law firm." Jack smiled, crossing his legs and smiling.

Will, who was still standing in the kitchen, frowned. "You do know that I work at the law firm and Grace works at the design shop."

Jack turned, giving him a so-what look. "What's your point Truman?" Jack shrugged.

Will just shook his head. Karen smiled. She seemed to play dumb, but here the key word was play. She was smarter than she looked, she just didn't let on. She often jumbled stuff up, more likely than not because she had been drunk at the time, but in reality she knew what she was doing. She understood.

"Where is Grace, by the way." Karen frowned, glancing around as if Grace was standing in the room somewhere, hiding from the other three.

"Oh, I think she was closing up shop and then coming home. She should be here in a few minutes." Will glanced at his watch.

Just as he spoke those words, the red head appeared in the doorway, a bright smile lighting her face as she entered. She noticed the whole gang was there and her smile brightened even more.

"Speak of the devil." Jack muttered as Grace hung up her coat and went to sit on the couch by Karen.

"Hey, guys." She sighed.

"Long day at work?" Will inquired from the kitchen.

"The longest. I don't think I've had that many clients since…well let's just say there were a lot of people in New York searching for a new look for the chic apartments." Grace rolled her eyes and turned to Karen. "I am so glad you're home."

"Me, too. I missed you, honey." Karen leaned in and the two kissed.

"Gross." Jack sang out, glancing away.

"Oh, that reminds me." Karen reached in to her purse and pulled out her cell. Flipping it open she dialed Nathan and held it to her ear. Every eye in the room was on her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Karen." Nathan's voice beamed over the line.

"Hey, honey." Karen smiled.

"How's my girl?" Nathan asked.

"Good. Hey, listen. The girls want me to have dinner with them, so I thought I would."

"Oh, well that's fine. I'll just find something at the penthouse, no big deal. Maybe Cook and I can have dinner together."

"Oh, honey no. Don't eat with the help." Karen said, painstakingly.

"Well, if I do…will you punish me?" Nathan put on a school girl guise.

"Oh, honey…" Karen's voice had dropped several octaves, and she absently began fanning herself. Grace and Jack exchanged glances, a smile flirting on both's face.

"Maybe afterwards we can have a little dessert…in bed." Nathan purred.

"Oh!" Karen started laughing. "You dirty, dirty man." She ran her hand down her front, leaning forward as she did, suppressing her building excitement.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later. Love you." Nathan stopped his sultry talk abruptly, catching Karen off guard, but she loved how he grounded her so quickly.

"Oh, okay." Karen breathed. "Love you too." She hung up the phone a bit flushed and flustered, glancing around, noticing for the first time that all eyes were on her.

* * *

Dinner was lovely, as it always was with Will Truman. They ate, laughed, talked, shared. Karen finally decided she wanted to learn more about this man candy Grace was toting around, so she brought up the subject. "Gracie, I hear there's someone new. Tell me more." Karen leaned towards her, a smile on her face. 

"Oh," Grace looked from her to Will, "You told her?" Will nodded. She glowered at him, but then turned back to Karen. "Yes, his name is Mark, we met at a party I went to while you were away. Some client invited me. He's actually an interior designer too." Grace picked up her wine glass and blushed. "We were actually fighting over the job, and well all of the sudden we were just going at it like rabbits." Grace grinned.

Karen nodded. "Oh, well…that sounds…great." She had never understood Grace's love to fight with her male partners all the time. Maybe fighting did make the sex more enjoyable…hmm…maybe Karen would try that with Nathan.

Jack talked about each date he'd been on, his son Elliot, what Will had done while Karen was away…random stuff. Karen nodded and half-listened to her poodle. Her mind was miles away, in bed, with her hubby.

But she held off, held off until it was time to say goodbye. She kissed each one goodbye, lingering a bit too long on Grace's lips (but she seemed to like it), and then she was off.

* * *

Back at the penthouse, Karen found Nathan was in their room. She began ascending the stairs, pulling her heels off as she went. When she got to the room, she slowly opened the door and found Nathan, laying in the candle light, completely naked. He'd gone for the clichéd romantic night with the rose petals all around. Beside him was one of Karen's favorite things, strawberry powder. Powder you could put anywhere and lick off. 

"Oh, honey." She sexily, stood on the other side of the room, stripping for Mr. Gorgeous in her bed. He watched her, intently, longingly.

That night they had amazing, sweet (literally sweet) sex.

TBC...You guys are too intutitive for me. You totally guessed it. Well maybe I can write something more shocking next time. :D


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_She found herself at Will's apartment door. She let herself in and found Grace sprawled out on the couch, staring seductively at her. She found herself going to Grace, bending over, and capturing her lips in her own. Grace's arms wrapped around Karen, pulling her closer to herself. _

_Karen glanced down and found that she was completely naked, and so was Grace. Grace stood up and offered her hand to Karen, who took it and followed her in to the bedroom. _

_Except it wasn't the bedroom. It was an emergency room and Karen found herself lying on a table. The doctor stood over her, holding a big clot of blood. She cried out, completely distressed._

Damn pregnancy dreams. And why with Grace? And why a clot of blood?

That scared her more than anything. She felt her heart pounding, sweat forming everywhere, she felt like she was suffocating. Quickly she kicked the sheets off her body, and an instant cooling effect occurred. She still felt strange. She felt like she had miscarried again.

Karen placed her hand on her stomach, reminding herself that she had not had so much as one problem since she had found out she was pregnant. She had not been sick like she had the first time, only a little bout of morning sickness now and then. She hoped Nathan didn't notice. She at least wanted to wait until after the one month mark which had been the point where she had lost the first baby. Well it really wasn't a baby. It had been a tiny little egg.

She had to get back to sleep. She was so tired, and she knew she needed her rest. So she turned and snuggled against Nathan's back, sleep enveloping her once again.

* * *

_Karen found herself at the office. She was sitting at her desk, flipping through a blank magazine. When she happened to glance up, she saw Grace, who was standing in the nude, a bright light cast around her. She was making large, sexual motions. Karen felt herself drawn to Grace. _

_She got up, made her way to Grace, wrapped and arm around her and leaned in for a kiss, except it wasn't Grace. What her lips collided with caused her to scream. The lifeless baby doll fell to the ground…_

Karen bolted upright in her bed, the warm sheets sliding off her body. She looked around, gaining her bearings, reminding herself it was just a dream. But it did little to calm the racing of her heart beat. She wiped a hand over her sweating forehead.

These dreams had to stop. She was having nightmares about babies. It was freaking her out.

Not to mention Grace, who had been in her dreams for quite some time now. They had never had sex, but they had been close to several times. It was only a kiss, or a leading to a bedroom by one or the other.

And how was she going to face Grace at work the next day? She'd dreamed about her being naked while at work.

What did all these dreams mean?

Karen shook her head, rolling closer to her husband. After a few moments she was once again fast asleep.

* * *

_Karen found herself looking down at Grace. A smile of pure ecstasy was apparent on her beautiful face. Karen could feel her hips grinding in to Grace's. They were actually doing it. They were having sex. Karen glanced down and saw Grace's boobs or an image of boobs her mind had conjured. She could feel Grace's hands on her own breasts, causing her to cry out in ecstasy._

_Just as both were on their edge, the dream flicked to a hospital. Karen found herself looking up at a white ceiling. Grace entered and stood, hovering over Karen. She had a surgeon's mask on, but Karen could still tell it was her. _

_She could sense that Grace was telling her something, but she couldn't hear. The image gradually began to fade. _

The image faded from Karen's mind and she frowned. What did all these dreams mean? It was strange that they had gradually progressed, night after night, in to her and Grace finally doing it. She wondered what it meant. She was oddly turned on by Grace in her dreams and then found herself turned on when she saw her during the day, at work.

She really needed to talk to someone about this. It was beginning to weigh on her, and she felt like she was hiding a secret from the world. Well she was, as she had not told anyone, bar Will, about her pregnancy. She was aching to tell her husband, but it was not quite the one month mark and she wasn't ready. But she might just be able to talk to him about the Grace part of her dreams.

* * *

"You need to have sex with Grace." 

"What!" Karen cried, completely surprised by her husband's reaction to what she had just confided to him.

"Well you obviously have strong feelings for her that you need to work out somehow, so why not sleep with her?" Nathan shrugged. This response to her incessant sex dreams was blowing her mind.

"Because you're my husband!" Karen stamped her foot. "And what do you take me for? Someone who would use her best friend to play out some erotic fantasy and then go about my own business, not caring how it affected her!" Karen was hysterical.

"Honey, sweetheart," He took her in his arms and held on to her, her rage, anger dissolving at his touch. "I love you very much, but I can see how much this is affecting you. I don't want you to be unfaithful, but if we're going to be together for the rest of our lives, don't you just want to have that lasting fantasy played out so that you can move on?"

"What about Grace?" Karen whispered, concerned about her friend.

"She'll enjoy it and then move on. Doesn't she have a boyfriend, or something?" Nathan queried, knowing Karen had said something about a boyfriend.

"Yes." Karen nodded. There was a long silence where both contemplated what was about to happen. "How will I go about doing this?"

"Well, I have a business trip coming up, which I've been dragging my feet to tell you about it. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring Grace back here and play."

"Oh, I don't think I could do that, honey." Karen frowned. "In our bed?"

"It doesn't have to be in our bed."

Karen nodded, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts. Her husband was giving her his consent to sleep with one of her best friends. This wasn't happening. It had to be another strange dream.

* * *

But Nathan had been serious, and Grace was more than happy to come to the penthouse for a "girl's night". Karen was nervous. She had never been more nervous in her life. Grace didn't seem to sense her uneasiness when she opened the door to let her friend in. Images of Grace naked flashed through her mind as she stared at Grace from behind. 

"Well, honey, Cook made some dinner. We could start with that." Karen swallowed, hoping she was acting as normal as possible.

As they sat eating dinner, Karen's eyes kept wondering to Grace's face. She was so innocent, she had no idea what was going through Karen's mind. Not even Karen knew what was going through Karen's mind. It was racing with questions, concerns, doubts, fears, and Nathan.

They went to sit up on Karen's bed, they wrapped up together, getting close. Karen should have made her move. She could picture it happening. She would lightly graze over Grace's breasts, reaching for the remote, or something on the bedside table. Then she would happen to glance down and find that their faces were right next to each other, their lips right next to each others. She would lean in and kiss Grace. Once Grace complied she would sit up and slowly begin to rock her hips back and fourth, gently pushing Grace's shirt up so she could see those dreamed about boobs. She would touch them, fondle them, place her mouth over them and pleasure Grace.

But instead Karen stayed lying where she was, feeling Grace's body burning beside her own. She was hot from that mental image which had just crossed her mind, but to actually do that seemed out of the picture. She couldn't have sex with Grace. She just couldn't do that to her, no matter how much she might have wanted to in the past. Her sex drive towards Grace seemed to stop suddenly, and she felt as if she were at peace with just laying beside her, like two friends did.

The dreams were merely images her mind had created to taunt her and remind her of what she could have had if Nathan had never walked in to the picture. However Nathan was what stopped her. Thoughts of him, so innocent and forgiving, she just lost all want to sleep with Grace.

* * *

"I couldn't do it." Karen cried gleefully in Nathan's ear. She had run right up to him the minute he walked in the door and had thrown herself into his arms. 

"Really?" He seemed ecstatic. "You passed up your chance to sleep with Grace?" They kissed blissfully and then Nathan returned Karen to the ground.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you." Karen looked down, scoffing her feet on the ground like an innocent school girl. A smile spread on her face. "Nathan, you're what stopped me. I don't want to have sex with anyone but you!" Karen grinned and wrapped her arms around Nathan, the two kissing like two newfound lovers kissed. "There's something else." Karen backed away, looking down once again, smoothing out her pants, messing with her shirt the way she did when she was trying to get out of the spotlight, when she didn't want the attention being given to her.

"What is it?" Nathan asked, concern spreading on his face.

"Well, I was going to wait and tell you, but I realized I need you with me. I need you to help me through the night." She placed a finger to her lips, and then removed it. She had Nathan's interest piqued. "Those sex dreams with Grace, well they always seemed to end with me having a baby, or loosing a baby." Nathan nodded, not sure what this meant. "And, well…we're pregnant again."

"What! That's great!" Nathan raced to her, placing his arms around her and pulling her in to a tight embrace.

"No." Karen didn't seem excited about this. "Not great. What if I miscarry again?"

"Karen, you can't think like that. I did some research about miscarrying. It's hard when you get pregnant again, but the likeliness of you miscarrying is slim to none. We're going to do this, Kare. I'll be with you every step of the way. Okay?" Nathan reassured her.

"Okay." Karen nodded.

"Have you told anybody else?" He asked.

"Well," Once again she glanced down. She hated confessing things. "I kind of took Will with me to the OB…GYN…" She smiled and shrugged.

"Why didn't you take me?" Nathan looked sort of hurt.

"Well, honey," Karen squinted, "because I thought if I miscarried again there was no point in telling you. It makes it real when you know." She frowned at her own logic.

Nathan just nodded. "I see." He went to her and took her in his arms, smelling her shampoo scented hair. He'd missed her while he was away. "Why don't we take this upstairs?" He suggested.

Karen nodded and hand in hand they walked up the staircase to Karen's room, ready for sex. It was loving, passionate. Nathan spent all his sexual energy on pleasing Karen, reassuring her everything would be fine. He had a good feeling about this child.

TBC...thanks for the reviews guys. I expect more this time. What happened to all4christ? I miss you. If you're reading this and haven't reviewed...I think you should. Unless I've somehow blocked anno. reviews. I hope I haven't, and if I have someone tell me. ANYWHO...review! And I'll try and get the next chapter out to ya.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Two months passed before Karen could tell the other two important people in her life. She knew she would be showing soon so she had to get out with it. Plus Gracie was getting suspicious. Karen hadn't been drinking since she had found out. Well she'd put some water in to a flask and made that pass as her daily liquor. But she could tell Grace sensed something was up.

So the gang, plus Nathan and Mark, decided to go out and have a little night on the town. It had been ages since they'd all sat down to a nice dinner at some fancy upscale restaurant. So they all went out to a fancy New York restaurant, where Karen used her name to get them a table most people would have to wait a year for. The night they had set the reservations, they all met at Will's first. Karen and Nathan arrived early to clue Will in on what was really going down.

"Wilma, we're going to tell them tonight."

"It's about time!" Will smiled, wrapping his arms around Karen. He had been bursting to tell Grace, but he'd kept it a secret. Now it would be out and he could openly communicate with Grace again. She'd noticed something was up.

Karen retreated to Nathan and the two sat down on the couch together. Nathan wrapped his arm around Karen's back and held her to him. Will brought two glasses of wine over, one for Nathan and one for himself. Karen stared hungrily at the glass, wishing she could have just a little teeny-tiny sip. She watched as Nathan sipped his wine, easily picking up conversation with Will. She wanted to take it from him, but she couldn't bring herself to do that, to put her unborn child in more risk of having something wrong with it.

Nathan noticed the longing in her eyes and felt bad for drinking in front of her. He knew it was hard. He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. She could taste it on his tongue. She deepened the kiss, wanting it, yet knowing she couldn't have it and that kiss was her only connection to the alcohol.

Will sat uneasily in his seat, watching the two lovers going at it. They were cute together, he had to admit.

All seemed glad when Jack entered. He bounced up to Karen and the two exchanged some affectionate touching and a kiss on each cheek. "Oh, Jackie you're my boy."

Jack grinned and sat down on the arm of Will's chair. "Grace and her boy toy should be here any minute. I heard them bickering in the elevator." Jack giggled, taking Will's wine from him and sipping it. Will gave him an evil look but it was lost on Jack who had turned to watch as Grace and her lover entered, lip-locked together.

Grace suddenly realized there were four people sitting in the room watching her make out with her man, and slowly she separated herself from him. "Hey guys." Grace smiled.

Karen gave her a sly pat on the butt when she came over for a kiss and a hug. "You two look like you're happy with each other." She whispered in Grace's ear.

Grace smiled. She was happy in her relationship and Karen was glad that she had found someone. All feelings that both had had vanished; they were now long forgotten memories. They both had there men folk to love on, and both were satisfied. The only two missing a boy toy now were Jack and Will, who oddly seemed content with each other.

So the party of six crammed in to Karen's limo. Well it really wasn't cramming in, there was plenty of room. Karen rested her head on Nathan's shoulder. She could feel her pulse racing, she was actually nervous about telling the gang. She knew they would be happy for her, but it gave her a strange feeling. She was actually pregnant; she'd been pregnant for the last three months. There had been no problems, no complications. She had gone to the OB with Nathan several times, just to get a routine check-up and monitor the baby, making sure it was okay. Karen would lie in bed at night, her shirt hiked up to reveal her naked stomach, her hands pressed firmly against her stomach, feeling the child, or pretending she could feel the child, that was growing inside of her.

No, she wasn't nervous; she was excited about telling Grace and Jack. They would be ecstatic. There was no need to be nervous.

When they got to the restaurant, they were immediately seated and drink orders were taken. Karen quietly ordered a glass of water, but Grace overheard. She was sitting next to Karen and shot her a confused look.

"What's going on?" Grace pushed. "You haven't had a drink in like three months…" She was beginning to put it together.

Karen didn't say a word, only smiled. She smiled until their drinks came. Then she decided to let the news out.

"Okay guys, I know you're all wondering why I took you all out tonight, and well it's because Nathan and I have some news." She turned and looked at Nathan, grabbing on to his hand underneath the table for support. He smiled at her and cheered her on with his eyes.

Grace exchanged glances with Will, who seemed to have a knowing look on his face. She frowned. Was this something everyone knew about except for her?

"We're pregnant." Karen finally exclaimed, smiling as she delivered the line. She turned to look at Nathan and the two exchanged a kiss.

"That's great Karen!" Grace exclaimed when Karen turned to look at her.

"I know, I've been dying to tell you, I just couldn't. I was skeptical about it, you know…" Karen didn't need to explain, Grace got it. The two kissed and then Karen turned to get Jack's ecstatic reaction.

"Karen this is so awesome! We're finally gonna have a baby!" Jack was practically jumping out of his seat.

Will just gave her a knowing look, a look Grace would question him about later, but for now she was content for Karen. She finally understood why the past few months had been different. She had noticed a change in Mrs. Karen Kingsley and she liked it. Though she knew it had been hard for Karen, but she seemed to be pulling through just fine. And just looking at her, one could tell she was glowing, radiant.

"How far along are you?" Grace asked, once Karen's attention was returned to her.

"Three months." Karen smiled, through a sip of water.

"You've been hiding this from me for three months! I can't believe it." Grace was surprised. She didn't know Karen could go that long without telling someone.

"I know." Karen smiled.

Mark, who wasn't in on the whole miscarriage thing, nodded knowingly as the conversation shifted to Karen's pregnancy. He talked to Will about it, but of course the conversation veered off in to something else, something law related. Grace couldn't tell. All she knew was that his arm had remained securely locked around her shoulder since they sat down. Frankly she liked it. She liked when he publicly claimed her. She turned to him, and he to her, and the two kissed.

Will watched. He was glad to see Grace in such a great relationship. It had been ages since she had gotten in to a really good relationship. Mark seemed like he was going to stick around for awhile.

Karen was also glad to see Grace happy with a man. She watched as the two kissed while she leaned into her hubby, a content smile on her face. Nathan kissed the crown of her head and whispered 'I love you' in her ear. She loved Nathan more than words could describe. He wrapped his arm around her and let his hand rest lightly on her stomach.

The food was ordered and happy conversation floated about the table. Will and Jack, feeling like the odd couple out, carried on a light hearted discussion, masking the fact that neither had a boyfriend. Grace and Karen talked adamantly about the baby and about redecorating the baby room. Nathan and Mark talked over the girls, and then would talk to Will or Jack. Soon their dinner came and they all ate.

Afterwards they went back to Will's where he pulled out a cake he had made earlier. Once again Grace felt suspicious as to why he had been so prepared for this occasion. But once again she would wait until everyone had gone.

"To Karen!" Will proposed, having popped open another bottle of champagne, which Karen could not have. She hated it. She hated that they taunted her with it. Nathan declined a glass to Karen's relief.

After awhile everyone got tired, tired of each other, tired of conversation, and just flat out tired, and so they all dispersed. Bar Grace, who still lived there. She went in to her room to change, but then reappeared. She sauntered up to Will, who stood in the kitchen, washing off dishes and placing them in the dishwasher.

"Hey." She grinned.

"Hey, you. You looked pretty happy with Mark tonight." Will grinned, playfully poking Grace in the stomach.

"Yeah, we're getting along pretty well. I like him," Grace said thoughtfully, "I like him a lot."

"I'm glad." Will smiled, really, truly, glad.

"So, I noticed you already seemed to know about Karen's little predicament." Grace playfully pushed him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tonight, you didn't act surprised at all." Grace egged him on. Will shrugged and adverted his attention back to the dishes. "Will, you knew about it, didn't you!" Grace guessed.

Will shrugged.

"She told you before she told me. I can't believe it!" Grace was disappointed. She had hoped that Karen would tell her first like she had before.

"Grace, it's not like that." Will shook his head.

"Oh, I think it is. I can't believe she likes you more than me!" Grace was shocked.

"No, Grace. Listen to me." She turned to him. "She asked me to go with her to the OB because she didn't want to go alone. She didn't want to hurt you guys if she miscarried again. It would be like giving you false hope, so she waited until she felt more comfortable about the pregnancy."

Grace suddenly got it. It made sense. "Wow."

"I know." Will shook his head. There was a pause where the two reflected on the situation. Will laughed, "You're silly."

"Why?" Grace frowned.

"To think she would tell you before me." Will had his oh-come-on look.

"Well she would." Grace proudly retaliated.

"Oh, I wouldn't be to sure." Will smirked.

"I am sure. She'd tell me way before she told you."

"No she wouldn't."

"Yes she would."

"No she wouldn't…"

* * *

Karen crawled in to bed beside Nathan. They'd had their fun already, having had sex the moment they walked in to the bedroom. Now both were tired and ready to sleep. They had taken a shower together and then Nathan had gotten in to bed. Karen, being a woman, took a bit longer to get in to bed. When she finally had, she snuggled up beside Nathan, feeling the heat that was emitting from his skin. She kissed his shoulder, his neck, then his chin, feeling the stubble beneath her lips. She ran her hand along the other side of his face, feeling the unshaven surface. She liked it. 

"I'm glad we told them." She said after a moment.

"Me, too. I was wondering if you were ever going to tell them." Nathan smiled and kissed her ear, gently licking her earlobe.

"I would have." Karen smiled, her eyes blinking as he paid more and more attention to her ear.

Nathan let his hand slip under her nightgown, and slowly he moved it up to her stomach. He let his hand rest there as he kissed her. He wanted desperately to tell her that he couldn't wait to have the child, but he knew he shouldn't say that. There were still six more months, six months for something to go wrong. He prayed that nothing would. He wanted this child more than anything. But even if Karen did end up miscarrying or some complication was to occur, he would still stick by her side. He would be there for her; he would love her until the day she died. Well, he couldn't think about that day.

Karen placed her hand over his hand, so that both's hands were entwined over her stomach. They soon fell asleep, hand in hand.

TBC...please feel free to throw out what you think should happen next. Oh, and thanks for the reviews guys!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Karen slipped in to her normal routine. She went to work for a couple of hours, had lunch with Jack, or sometimes she took Grace, and then she would shop. Sometimes she would shop for herself, not quite ready to go to the maternity section of the store, but having to anyway, and sometimes she would shop for the baby. She mostly browsed for the baby, still feeling very insecure about the pregnancy, but wanting so badly for it to work out.

She would finger through the little baby outfits at the most chic of boutiques. When she found something she really liked she would hold it up and admire it, talking to the child that was growing inside of her. "Do you like this one?" She would ask absently, as if the child were beside her, able to answer her. "I like it." She let her fingers glide over the threading of the outfit, imagining what a child; her child would feel like in her hands. She couldn't wait, but she also couldn't seem to get her hopes up.

Work with Grace was beginning to get too bona fide. She was actually doing things for Grace. For instance, if Grace needed Karen to fax sometime to someone, or take a phone call, or maybe even help her with a design, Karen would do so without thinking twice, or making Grace do it instead. Grace wasn't sure if she liked this new and improved, and very sober Karen or not. She was so….so real, so human. It was frightening to see Karen in that way. She wasn't tipsy, or crazy, she was just normal.

She had her moments, of course. There were nights where she would sneak out of bed and steal away to the mini-bar, itching to pour herself a glass of gin and swallow it in one gulp. But she knew she couldn't and shouldn't, so she stayed there, staring down at the things she wanted but couldn't have.

She'd reach out and mindlessly touch the bottle, feel it under her hands. Yes, this was an addiction. No matter how much she liked to throw the word around in her past, she had come to admit she had an addiction. Now not to anyone, just to herself. It took constant reminding that a child was growing inside of her to keep her away.

That and Nathan. Nathan who had become her rock. He took it upon himself to be there for her even through the littlest quandary. She would feel guilty for ever having left her bed to go gawk at her alcohol, and would go to back to it, slipping in beside Nathan. She would wrap her arms around him; breathe in his manly scent which she had grown to love more than any scent in the world. She could smell him on her shirts while she was at work and would instantly yearn for him.

Karen was aching for some sort of natural high, a euphoria to get her through the rough spots. She was becoming too real; she was beginning to think again. Something she didn't like to do. Thinking only caused her to remember and she usually chose not to. If these thoughts would have arisen a few months ago she would have washed them away with a shot or two of bourbon. But now there was no evading them. She was stuck with the memories.

She drank because she failed and then she failed when she drank. It was a vicious cycle that she had fallen into. If she was drunk, no one would care if she failed, or slipped and said something raunchy.

Now that she was with child there was no room for her to slip, to fail. She had already botched once with the previous baby. But it went further back than just that.

Karen wasn't sure she wanted to remember. As she lay in bed she tried not to think about her own childhood. She willed herself to go back to sleep, but images, sounds, thoughts were racing through her mind. She couldn't sleep. She needed a pill, some sort of calming remedy. If she didn't take some sort of pill she would feel like she was drowning. She suddenly realized that that was where the pill taking had stemmed from. She had become reliant on the pills to erase the mental images, the constant feeling of being inundated with thoughts.

She hated nights like this. They made her crazy. She needed something, but she knew she couldn't.

As if he could read her mind, Nathan rolled over in the bed so that he was facing Karen, who was lying; eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. He placed his hand on her stomach and kissed her cheek. "Why are you awake?"

Karen shook her head. "I couldn't sleep." She swallowed back the tears that were threatening to fall. She felt so confused, but Nathan's voice seemed to soothe her.

Nathan nodded, kissed her shoulder and began to slowly run has fingers up and down her arm, causing a chill to overcome her. She loved when he gently tickled her. It relaxed her, calmed her. She rolled over so that she was on top of him. She felt that he was erect. She slid on to him and the two lip-locked as Karen began to ride up and down. They kissed, and it was more about the kiss than the sex. It got all the things that had clouded Karen's mind, off her mind. She only thought of how Nathan's mouth tasted, how he felt between her thighs, how he felt inside her, how his hand felt trailing up and down her back, on her breast.

"I love you." Karen whispered as they came together, neither really getting a great orgasm off of it. But it had helped. Karen felt better, knowing Nathan was up. She snuggled in to his side and prayed that she would fall asleep. She didn't want to think anymore.

Nathan wrapped his arms around Karen and whispered in to her hair as he kissed the crown of her head, "I love you, too."

* * *

The next day at work Karen tried to busy herself to keep her mind off of what was plaguing her. After rearranging her desk, she went out and got some lunch for Grace and herself. She brought it back and the two sat at the design table, carrying on a conversation. Conversation flowed easily for them. 

"You're looking good." Grace commented.

"Well thank you, honey. You don't look to bad yourself." Karen grinned, poking Grace in the stomach. Her own stomach was beginning to buldge out. She got more and more excited with everyday that it grew. It meant the baby was inside, growing, maturing, and most importantly it was well.

"Can I touch it?" Grace asked.

Karen gave her a smirk. "Getting a little handsy there, Red? Do you like pregnant women? Well, whatever turns you on, honey." Karen sat her sandwich down and lifted up her shirt, gently taking Grace's hand. She pressed Grace's palm to her stomach, the cold of Grace's hand surprising her at first, but she quite enjoyed the contact.

She studied Grace's face, which seemed fixed on Karen's stomach. Her eyes were filled with amazement, happiness. "I'm so excited, Karen." Grace allowed Karen to move her hand around her perfectly round stomach. No stretch marks yet, impressive.

"Me too, honey, me too." Karen grinned. She dropped Grace's hand and pulled her shirt back down. The two leaned in for a chaste kiss and then they carried on with their eating.

"So you guys decided to wait until it was born to see if it's a girl or a boy?" Grace wanted to make sure this was correct. She'd heard it from Jack and sometimes he wasn't reliable.

"Yup. I wanted it to be a surprise." Karen grinned. "Well, Nathan did too."

"That is so awesome, except for now I'm going to have to get it something yellow."

"Well, honey you could get it something pink and then even if it is a boy it can still wear it. It's gonna have a feminine side no matter what with Jackie as an aunt." They laughed. "Anyway, how are you and Mark?"

"We're good. He's talking about moving in together, but I'm kinda scared about it." Grace admitted.

"But why? You've been dating for what, three months now?" Karen frowned.

"I know, I just…well I guess I'm afraid of what might happen if we move in together. It'll get really serious."

"Are you afraid of a serious relationship?" Karen asked.

Grace considered this for a minute. "I guess I am, but I have no idea why." She frowned, obviously conflicted by the situation. "You know what, I'm gonna move in. I'm gonna do it." She abruptly decided.

"Good, honey." Karen grinned.

Their lunch was once again taken over by random talking, commenting on something or rather, and some inappropriate touching. Just as their lunch was coming to an end, Nathan walked in.

He came up to Karen and wrapped his arms around her. She turned her head to receive a kiss from him. "Hey, baby. I thought I'd come by and see you." Nathan explained after acknowledging Grace.

"Oh, you're so sweet." Karen kissed him again.

"I wish Mark would come by and see me for fun." Grace rolled her eyes and removed herself from her seat, walking over to her computer, allowing Karen some alone time with Nathan.

"Do you want to go out tonight? There's a new restaurant that just opened up. My colleague's wanted to go. They're going to bring their wives. I thought I'd show you around."

"If you think you can just take me out to show me off you have another thing coming, buddy." Karen got up off her seat and retreated to her desk. "But I'll go anyway." Nathan met her at her desk and she looked up at him. The two exchanged a kiss, smiles on both's faces as they pulled away.

"Break it up, you two." Grace hissed at them from the other side of the room.

Karen fondled Nathan's suit jacket. "She's just jealous because her man doesn't come to visit her."

Grace gave Karen a nasty look, which Karen missed because she was lost in Nathan's eyes. All thoughts seemed to go away when she looked at him. "So, listen, I'll meet you back at the manse tonight at around six. You'd better be ready."

"Oh, honey, I'm always ready." Karen turned and sat back down at her desk.

"I'll see you later, love you." Nathan leaned down and they kissed goodbye.

Grace stood watching, completely jealous that Karen got such a perfect man and she was stuck, no not stuck, but in a relationship with a close to perfect man. He never went out of his way to go see her, he never sent her flowers, he never stopped in just to say hi, he never showed her off to his friends…but he was good in bed. Yes, good in bed. Good in bed. Good in bed...she had to keep reminding herself of this.

"Honey, what are you thinking about?" Karen questioned, her eyes glued to the magazine in front of her.

"Uh-what?" Grace's sex thoughts came to an abrupt stop. "Oh, nothing."

Just then Jack burst through the door. "Morning ladies, and Grace." Jack sang out. "Karen, I had a dream last night that the baby was a boy! He had long blonde hair and was wearing a silk nightgown, just like yours."

"Oh, honey that's great!" Karen clapped her hands together. The two kissed and then Jack paraded around the room as he talked.

"I met this really cute guy at the coffee shop with Will this morning. Except I think he was straight, but I wasn't sure. He kept leaning in and kissing this red head who was with him."

"Uh, Jack, that was Mark."

"Oh, was it?" Jack thought about it for a moment. "Oh, it was." He giggled. "So, Kare, do want to go hit Gucci, Lucie, Armani with me?"

"Oh, I'd love to. I haven't been shopping since yesterday." Karen grinned, tossing her magazine to the side. It was these material possessions, Karen realized, that were also a crutch for her. She spoiled herself, made herself feel like she deserved something. It was all a show, obviously. But she went along, made Jackie feel special. Oh, she could get a new outfit for that night. She wanted to look good, better than all those other trophy wives she'd be yapping away with.

And so they were off to Saks Fifth Avenue and some other designer places. Jack helped her pick out the cutest little outfit that showed off her pregnancy without accentuating it. It was close to $4,000 total with all the accessories and shoes and a new purse, and a few odds and ends for Jack.

Karen nixed going back to the office and headed home after dropping Jack off at his apartment. When she got home she took a shower, and then blow dried her hair so that it fell around her face. She applied some soft make-up, wanting to look natural. She slipped into her new outfit, tossed on her new accessories, and just as she was slipping in to her heels, the bathroom door was tossed open and in came Nathan with a handful of roses.

"Oh." Karen jumped in her seat, but then relaxed when she saw who it was. "Wow, those are beautiful."

"Just like you." Nathan leaned in and kissed her. He sat the roses down and wrapped his arms around her. It was hard to get close as she was close to six months along. Her stomach was getting bigger everyday. He liked to measure it in the morning to see if she had grown. He was so proud of her and the baby. "Are you ready?" He asked, kissing her neck.

"Yup." She pushed him away, a smile still apparent on her face. Karen grabbed the flowers and walked out the bathroom door. Nathan followed her down to the kitchen where she trimmed the bottom of the flowers and placed them in a vase. "Let's go." She grabbed his hand and out they went to the limo.

* * *

The restaurant was beautiful. One had to take an escalator up to get to the main level where the back drop of the room was a huge waterfall that covered one wall. There was a balcony where people could sit and eat on top of the waterfall and tables were scattered all around on the main floor. Karen and Nathan were led up to the balcony and seated with several of Nathan's colleague's and their wives. Karen plopped down next to an attractive blonde, who was using her manicured fingernail to browse the menu. She looked bored out of her mind. 

She turned and smiled at Karen. "Hi. I'm Kelly."

"I'm Karen." Karen smiled, shaking hands with the gorgeous woman.

"Nice to meet you." Kelly smiled back. "These dinners can be so boring. All the men want to do is talk about business."

Sure enough, when Karen glanced over at Nathan he was deep in to conversation with the man sitting next to him. He was animatedly talking to the man, making jokes about the stock market and other business related terms Stan used to throw around. Karen knew them, she just never let on. She actually had a better grasp on the economy and politics than most people had. She'd been educated rather well; she just chose not to acknowledge that part of her life. She let people believe she was clueless. So in all, the business talk didn't bother her.

She carried on a lovely conversation with Kelly and another woman at the table named Sadie. Sadie actually worked for the company and was not married. In fact, she was living with her lover whom she had been with for seven years. Karen applauded her.

The evening really helped to take Karen's mind off of her need for something. The day had been a good one. She just hoped tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that were as good as this day had been. Nathan seemed to sense that she was struggling and he was trying everything in his power to get her through the rough spots. She loved him for it.

That night they went home and had sex, amazing sex, then fell asleep in each other's arms. Karen didn't wake up until the sun was rising in the east.

TBC...mucho reviews people! I don't think I've ever included a disclaimer...so here it is...I don't own Will and Grace. YAY! I mean sad. Okay review children, review. Love you all!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Even though Karen's pregnancy was not a high risk pregnancy, her gynecologist insisted that for the remaining two months of her pregnancy she stay mostly in bed. It was, for the most part, the fact that she had miscarried and she was over forty. It did put the pregnancy at somewhat of a high risk, but the doctor's were convinced the baby was going to be fine. Despite that, they recommended that Karen take to her bed.

So she was stuck, and she hated it. She couldn't lie on her back, it cut off the circulation to the baby; she couldn't lie on her stomach, obviously; she could only lie on her side. She hated lying on her side. It was either that, or propped up with pillows behind her. She preferred that position. Nathan, before he had left to go to work, had propped her up, kissed her goodbye, and then had reluctantly left her.

Now she was alone. Alone was never a good thing. Sure Rosario was there, but she was off earning her keep, cleaning the manse. Karen couldn't interrupt her.

Well, she did have this baby growing inside of her to keep her company.

Karen glanced down at her protruding stomach. It rested heavily on her lap. She had not expected it to be so heavy, so suffocating at times. Nathan did his best to help her. He didn't mind when she had to shift in bed at night. He would often times wake up and help her. If she was going to be up he was up, too. He didn't care that she had completely lost her sex drive, well not completely, but it was more on her terms now. Most of the time she hurt too much to work up the energy to have sex. Plus, sex was a little confusing. Neither knew exactly what to do with a baby in between them. Nathan had taken to a different position to get the job done.

Now Karen was alone for the next two months with this thing growing inside of her and only her thoughts and the television to keep her company. Well, occasionally one of the gang would stop in. Jack was the one to come over the majority of the time. He'd hop in to bed with her and they would watch some old movie. Will would come on occasion, mostly when he was bored and had nothing better to do. Ever since Grace had moved out, he'd seemed kind of down.

Yes, Gracie had moved in with Mark. Karen had no idea how that was working out. She wished Grace would come over more.

Now she was sitting in her bed, feeling the weight of the child inside of her. She gently rested a hand on the top of her stomach and tenderly trailed her fingers down her stomach. She tilted her head, looking at her stomach, admiring how huge it had gotten over the months. It made her smile. Sitting there in her bed she was actually content. The pain was there, but it was all so minimal, so small compared to what it would be like to finally hold the baby in her arms. It was worth it to go through the pain. She was finally beginning to let go of her doubts. This child had held on longer than the last. She just prayed it would be all right.

"I can't wait to see you." She whispered, her voice frightening her at first in the quiet room. "I'm sure you'll be beautiful, like your father, and well I guess like me." Here she giggled, but kept her eyes trained on her stomach. She could feel the baby moving around. The constant movement assured her that everything was fine. She loved when the baby shifted. She moved her hand to where she could feel the baby was kicking. "Are these your feet?" Karen smiled, imagining what the child looked like all balled up inside of her.

A silhouette stood unnoticed in her bedroom doorway. She was too entranced by the baby inside of her to become aware of the fact that someone was watching her. "You've taken to talking to yourself, wow; I must have been away from you longer than I thought." An all too familiar voice was heard coming from the threshold of the bedroom.

"Oh," Karen jumped, startled by the voice. However, she knew who it was and was glad that she was there. "Gracie!" Karen held out her arms for Grace to come to her.

Now she would no longer be alone. Surprisingly she had not been plagued with horrible thoughts from her past. She was instead consumed with thoughts of the baby. But still sitting in bed, talking to a fetus was no comparison to having an actual human being sitting next to her, talking to her.

Grace went to Karen, but something wasn't right. Grace's face was tear stained and she looked like she might cry again by the time she got to Karen's side, sat down on the edge of the bed, and wrapped her arms around Karen. "What's wrong, Grace?" Karen asked, wrapping an arm securely around Grace and pulling her to her.

Grace shook her head, unable to speak. The tears were coming once again.

"Oh, honey, come lay down with me." Karen pushed the blankets off the empty side of the bed and patted it, waiting for Grace to comply, which she did without hesitation. She climbed in to bed beside Karen and rested her head on Karen's shoulder. Karen put her arm around her once again and did her best to look down at Grace, to study her. "What happened?"

"I left him." Was all Grace would get out before breaking in to another round of tears.

"Oh, honey. You left Mark?" Karen shook her head.

"Yes. It was horrible. We were fighting all the time and there was never any sex afterwards." Grace pouted. So maybe fighting in a relationship didn't bring about great sex.

"Sounds to me like there was no relationship." Karen wiped at Grace's tears.

"There wasn't." Grace stated, almost angrily. "I convinced myself there was, I convinced you and Will there was, but in reality there wasn't. I don't know why I moved in with him, or why I thought it would work." Grace was beating herself up over this and Karen hated to see her like this.

"Honey, no, don't beat yourself up about this. Men can be awful bastards sometimes, but you just collect yourself and move on." Karen encouraged, but it wasn't working.

"But you don't have these problems." Grace cried. "Nathan's perfect."

Karen shook her head. "He's no more perfect than any other guy. Really, he gets in his moods sometimes. Not every man is perfect." Grace still wasn't cheering up. Karen decided for a flattering recovery. "Gracie, listen to me. You are a beautiful woman; you have your whole life ahead of you. I'm sure there is someone out there waiting for you. You just haven't met them."

Grace frowned. "Why do you say them?"

Karen's eyes left Grace and wondered to the opposite wall, then back. She frowned, "Well, honey, I just thought that after you had your little thing for me you were open to a more bisexual way of life." Karen glanced around, confused.

"That was only for you, Karen. I only felt that way towards you." Grace, a bit flustered said as if to say oh-come-on. "Really, I have never felt like that towards any woman, but you." Grace wished Karen wasn't happily married and pregnant. She was slipping in to her old feelings again. Why else would she have come to Karen before going to Will?

"Oh, honey." Karen looked at Grace and really studied her. She leaned down and kissed her, at first gently, but Grace deepened the kiss, groped for her mouth. Their tongues collided together. "Gracie, I know you love me, but there has to be a guy out there for you. Or a girl. You never know." Karen took Grace's hand in her own and squeezed it.

Grace nodded. She knew she couldn't get stuck liking Karen again. It would never work. She needed to go out there and find somebody else. But right then she needed Karen. So she agreed that she would find someone, and then snuggled in to Karen's side. Karen quite enjoyed her company.

"How's the design firm?" Karen questioned.

"Oh, it's good. No so much fun now that you're not around, but the state requires that I let you off on maternity leave, so I'm dealing." Grace smiled. Karen had pulled Grace's hand to her stomach and Grace was now gently running her hand over Karen's belly. Sometimes she could feel the baby kick, and Karen would smile like any proud mother would, and watch to see how Grace reacted to the kicks. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"No, not really. Not after awhile. You kind of get used to it." Karen shrugged, running her hand over her stomach, searching for another kick, an elbow, a shoulder.

"Wow," Grace grinned, "I can not believe you are going through this before me. You know. I always thought the story would end the other way around."

"What, with me ending up with some loser and you happily married?" Karen sneered. "In your dreams, honey."

Grace smiled, but underneath it all, it hurt that she still hadn't found Mr. Right. Sure Leo had been great, but only when he was around. Nathan, her Nathan had been a God send, but she'd destroyed the relationship. All her other relationships had been meaningless, and only good for sex. It was time she buckle down and really look for someone.

"But I'm sure you'll find someone." Karen moved Grace's tear damp curls out of her faced and kissed her forehead. "I'm tired. Do you want to take a nap with me?" Karen inquired.

Grace nodded, also feeling worn out from crying all morning. She would still have to face Will and try to get him to let her move back in, but somehow she felt better about the situation. Karen always knew how to make it better, well except for a couple of times when she'd only made the situation worse…but that was in her past. Now she was thinking logically and functioning normally. Her help really did help. She knew just how to flatter Grace.

The two floated off for an afternoon nap, which was only interrupted by Nathan's return home.

Grace decided to go to Will's after having dinner with Karen and Nathan. She was beginning to feel like their child.

* * *

She arrived at Will's and knocked on the door. She could hear a commotion coming from the other side and it seemed like it was taking Will longer than usual to get to the door. "Will!" Grace cried, knocking again. 

"Coming, Grace." Will sounded panicked, but moments later when he finally pulled the door open he looked clam and unruffled. "Hey sweetie. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow night. Remember, we were going to make those little egg rolls you like?"

Grace frowned, and tried to look around Will, looking for evidence that someone, or something else was in his apartment. She completely ignored what he was saying. "Is someone else here?" She asked, looking him straight in the eye.

He swallowed, hating being under Grace's inescapable stare. "No, no there's no one here." Just then something went crashing to the floor in the other room. "Could you keep it down in there, Joey?" Will cried, and then looked back at Grace as if nothing had just happened.

"What are you hiding, Will Truman?" Grace demanded.

"It's nothing." Will grabbed her arm and pulled her in. "Come on, sit down." He ushered her to the sofa. She frowned, but no longer able to keep it from him she broke down.

"Will, Mark and I broke up." Grace blurted out.

"Oh, my gosh, sweetie, that's awful." Will saddened, reaching out for Grace.

"It's okay. I just…well I just need a place to stay, so I was wondering if I could have my old room back." Grace broke away from his embrace and looked at him with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Oh, sweetie…" Will glanced nervously at his room, and then back at her.

"What?" Grace turned to follow his gaze, but saw nothing but his closed bedroom door.

"I, um, I kind of met someone and he's…uh…kind of moving in." Will bit his lip.

There was a pause. "What?" Grace cried. She jumped up and went to his bedroom door, pushing it open. The door opened to reveal the most beautiful man sitting like an angel on Will's bed.

The man looked around, trying to avoid Grace but he couldn't. "Uh, hi. I'm Joey."

"How could you!" Grace turned on Will. "How could you meet someone? Does everyone have someone? Am I destined to be alone for the rest of my life?"

"Does everything always have to be about you?" Will gave her an evil look. "Grace, come on. You should be happy for me. I finally met someone."

"Well, Will, you should have thought about how this would affect our friendship." Grace finally shoved at him as a last resort. She couldn't handle this situation. She had to leave, she had to get away.

But once she was out on the street she had no idea where to go.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Grace stumbled down the sidewalk, tears fogging her vision. She had no idea where she was going, or what she would do next. She had no where to go. She could go back to Karen's, but she didn't want to interrupt her once again. She really did not want to bunk over at Jack's. Who knew what he would do in the middle of the night, and frankly Grace really didn't want to know.

Yes, she was all alone.

Conversely, a strong smell floated from a nearby noodle restaurant. How could Grace pass up the chance to eat at a time like this? She crossed the street and pushed the clear glass door open, taking in the heavenly, welcoming aroma which emitted from the shop. She walked up to the counter and ordered herself a bowl of noodles, anxious to eat away her tears.

After she paid and collected her noodles she went and sat down at a table, no longer ashamed of eating all by herself. She was used to it. She had this way of making people believe she was waiting for someone. Glancing around, Grace noticed that the restaurant was fairly busy. She had grabbed one of the last free tables.

Just as she was about to take another spoonful of noodles into her mouth, a finger taped her on the shoulder. She turned and found herself face-to-face with a rather attractive woman. She looked as wearied and worn down as Grace was sure she looked herself.

"Do you mind if I share your table?" The women asked bluntly, not buying in to the whole Grace-was-waiting-for-someone act.

"Sure, I don't mind." Grace pushed the chair opposite herself out with her foot. The woman smiled and sat down. "You look like you've had a hard day." Grace commented, trying to start a conversation. She so desperately wanted someone to talk with and she was relieved this woman had chosen her to sit down by.

"So do you." The women remarked back, but it wasn't an evil statement, just a sad recognition that both had had a bad day. "And yes, I did have an awful day."

"I left my boyfriend and I thought I could move back in with my best friend, but I found out he met someone." Grace expounded, wanting to talk about it, to vent with someone.

"That's too bad." The woman shook her head. "I left my partner of seven years today." She looked down at her noodles, mindlessly swirling them around.

Grace gave her a sad look. "Why?"

"I caught her with someone else." The woman sighed.

Grace was caught quite off guard. It really wasn't the fact that the woman had just said her and not him, well it sort of was. The word partner in her previous sentence had hinted at it, but Grace hadn't been prepared for the word her. There was nothing wrong with it; this woman was just another human being, trying to find love in the world, as Grace was doing herself.

"Oh, sweetheart…" Grace reached out; all barriers she might have put up in the past were gone. She took the woman's hand in her own. "That's so sad."

"I know." The woman's eyes filled with tears, but she wouldn't let them fall. She was too proud for that. "I'm surprised you didn't run away."

"Why would I do that? That would make me shallow and uncaring." Grace smirked. She saw a smile forming on the woman's gloomy face. Grace knew that she had found what she needed. They were both going through a rough time, but it seemed that together they would make it through. "I'm Grace, by the way." Grace realized they hadn't even exchanged names, yet they were already holding hands and expounding their life stories and woes to each other.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Sadie." The woman smiled, gently running her hand under her eyes. Those beautiful green eyes. Grace couldn't help but notice how attractive she looked, despite the swollen puffyness that had arisen while crying earlier. There was just something about her; Grace wasn't sure what was happening. She just somehow knew that everything was going to be okay from then on. And she knew that she felt comfortable, comfortable in this situation with this woman.

* * *

Nathan, after watching a movie with Karen in the media room, helped a very tired and very pregnant Karen back up to their bedroom. He laid her down in the bed, placing pillows around her for support and comfort, and then kissed her forehead before climbing in to bed beside her. She stared at him, studied his face. He seemed unnerved about something. 

"What's wrong, sweetheart." Karen asked, reaching a hand out and stroking Nathan's cheek.

He took her hand in his own and kissed the palm of it. "It's nothing, baby." He shook his head.

"Oh, come on." Karen egged him on. She knew something was up with Mr. Nathan tonight.

"Well," He glanced around, seeming to search for the right words, "I just…I'm afraid…am I going to be any good at this whole parent thing?" He asked bashfully.

Karen laughed, "Of course you are, honey." She reached out and touched his face, slowly running her fingers across his rough, unshaven stubble. He'd been so interested in caring for her that he had hardly had enough time to care for himself. "Look at you. You're loving and caring, and you've been with me through the whole nine months. You make sure I'm comfortable, hell you bend over backwards for me. I'm sure you'll do the same for our baby."

"Really? You think so?" Nathan seemed to perk up.

"Honey, I know so." Karen grinned. He smiled back and leaned in for a kiss.

Frankly he'd been getting a little anxious, a little worried about the whole situation. In less than a month he and Karen would have their first child together. He was sure it would work out, it had to. He had that gut feeling one gets when everything's going to be okay. But he wasn't sure he was prepared yet, as a father, as a man, to handle such a responsibility. He was sure he could, he had just needed a bit of reassurance from his lovely wife.

"Let's go to bed, honey." Karen took his hands in her own and pulled them up against herself, snuggling with them as if they were her teddy bear. Her eyes, which had been slowly drooping shut, began to close, a content smile permanently on her face.

Nathan kept his eyes on her face, watching as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Jack sat alone in his apartment. He had no one to do anything with, nor did he feel motivated to find anyone to do anything with. 

He could not believe that Will had found someone, and so quickly. In less than a month Will's new "lover" Joey had already moved in. They were so close that it made Jack sick. He hated seeing Will happy. Hated it, hated it, hated it.

Why did he hate it? He wasn't sure. But he just did.

It bugged him that Will was taken.

Did that mean something?

* * *

"Do you want to come back to my place?" Sadie inquired, knowing that both had been done with their noodles hours ago. Glancing around, she had also noticed that hardly anyone was left at the noodle restaurant. They had all dispersed, and now only a few people remained. 

Grace, also realizing this very same fact, found that their time would either end now, or it would be carried on if she accepted the invitation. She found that she didn't want to be alone, and she had enjoyed Sadie's company very much. Choosing not to accept would leave Grace with going over to Karen's and crashing there. She really had no where else to go, so this invitation seemed like just the ticket, for just that one night. "Sure." She nodded.

A relieved smile crossed her face. It was as if she had been holding her breath, wondering if she was making the right decision by asking Grace back to her place. She hadn't picked up a woman in seven years, especially not a straight one, so it was like going out on a limb, wearing her heart on her sleeve. She had felt vulnerable even soliciting this idea. But luckily Grace had accepted and she felt glad that she had asked. "Great. I just live a couple of blocks away."

Grace nodded and accepted the hand that Sadie was holding out for her. The two walked out of the restaurant and down the street, neither noticing, or caring that their hands were still entwined together. There wasn't much said on the walk to Sadie's. Both were a little nervous, maybe even a little scared, but there seemed to be a sort of anticipation brought on by the fact that this was all new. It was a new relationship for Sadie, and for Grace it was a new kind of relationship. She wasn't exactly sure how far she wanted this relationship to go, but she did feel comfortable in it.

They came across a rather attractive little apartment building. It had about three stories and fit between two other apartments just like it. "I'm on the top floor." Sadie explained as she unlocked the vestibule doors. Grace nodded and glanced around, wanting to take in all her surroundings. She wondered if this place would become familiar, she wondered if she would return often, or if this was just a one night thing.

Sadie led Grace up a flight or two of stairs and there at the top level Sadie opened a large black door. Inside, the apartment was beautiful. The interior decorator who had done the place had done a great job. The walls were all soft colors and some darker forest colors. The whole lay out of the apartment was very spacious. The ceilings were high, most likely because Sadie was on the top floor.

As Grace took in the apartment, Sadie studied her from behind. As she sat her purse on the table she watched as Grace's eyes surveyed her apartment.

"It's beautiful." Grace remarked without turning.

"I know." Sadie slipped out of her shoes and slowly moved towards Grace.

Grace turned and looked at Sadie, a wide grin on her face. "What shall we do?"

"I was thinking we could go sit on that really comfortable looking couch." Sadie pointed in the direction of the chaise lounge.

"I'm thinking that sounds like a good idea." Grace grinned.

* * *

Nathan took a leave of absence from his work so he could stay home with Karen. He wanted to be there for her. She was beginning to depend upon him more and more. She had taken to her bed for the most part, not leaving it unless she desperately had to. Nathan and Rosario rotated bringing meals to her and everything else she ever needed was attended to by one of her maids. She was living the high life, except it could be painful, suffocating at times. She missed seeing her feet, she could hardly breathe half the time, her feet were swollen, and she was beginning to feel very fat. However, when Nathan was around he made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He boosted her self-esteem so much. It was hard to have a negative thought when he was by her side. 

Now they were sitting in bed together. Nathan was gently tickling Karen's arm, trying to relax her. She was having a rather awful day. She was in a rather poor mood, having gotten in to an argument with Rosario and then yapping at Nathan. Of course she then felt bad, but Nathan reassured her she was entitled to have these off days.

Nathan tore his eyes away from the TV screen, and glanced at Karen. He could hear her shallow breathing and he wanted to make sure she was okay. He knew her due date was coming up, what was it? Next week? Thursday? Friday? When was it? She had told him, he'd just forgotten.

Karen, without looking at Nathan, spoke. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" Nathan frowned.

"About having this baby." She looked at him, her eyes pleading with his. She looked really frightened.

"Oh, Karen, sweetheart, you're going to be fine." Nathan turned more towards her.

"You're sure? It's not going to hurt too much?" She bit her finger and looked up at him through pouting eyes.

"No, it's going to be fine."

"I'll get pills?" She'd been looking forward to the pain killers. She'd missed them.

"Of course. They want it to be as easy for you as possible." He assured her.

"What if they have to cut me open?" Karen gasped, her breathing going from shallow to near hyperventilation.

"Calm down, sweetie." Nathan tried to calm her. "You're going to be fine. The doctor didn't think that was going to be necessary, he said you should have no problems."

"But what if I do, honey?" She insisted, persisted.

"So what? As long as you're okay and the babies okay it doesn't matter." Nathan held her hands in his own.

"You won't think I'm attractive any more." She pulled her hands from his and crossed them over her chest like a defiant little child.

Nathan almost laughed. "Karen, is this really what you're worried about? You're afraid that I won't find you attractive anymore?"

Karen looked down, played with a loose thread in her bedding, and then nodded.

"Karen! You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. I'll always find you attractive."

"Really?" Karen looked at him.

"Of course." Nathan nodded. "Karen, I love you."

"Oh, I love you, too." Karen reached out and wrapped her arms around him.

Just as they were kissing, Jack came sauntering in, head down, looking rather sad. "Hey Kare, hey Nathan." He uttered, his words hardly audible. He plopped down on the bed beside Karen.

"Jackie! What's wrong with you? You are the one person I depend on to always have a smile on that dazzling face of yours, and now you don't. Spill gay boy." Karen immediately picked up on his depressed mood.

"Will found somebody and they're moving in together." Jack sighed, a long dramatic sigh, as he crossed his legs and looked at the opposite wall.

"Oh, Jackie, I'm sorry." Karen reached out for his hands.

She was the only one who knew, who had ever known. Jack had told her one late night while they had been expounding secrets to each other. Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be okay."

Karen had reached out and was gently rubbing her manicured fingernails up and down Jack's back. She hated to see him down. As she soothed his sadness, she began to think the situation over. "Wait, you said he was moving in with Will?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded.

"So what about Grace?" Karen inquired.

"What about her, she's living with Mark." Jack mumbled.

"Not any more." Karen slowly sat up a bit more.

Jack turned inquisitively, "What is this you say?" An eager look appeared on her face. "Mark and Grace broke up?"

Karen nodded, but then frowned. "So where is Gracie?"

Jack frowned as well. "Hmm, I don't know." He placed his hand to his chin and pretended to think, however Karen was actually thinking. Where could Grace have gone? Now she was worried.

Strange, she'd never been worried about another human being in her life. But Grace was important to her, she needed to find her, make sure she was okay. Reaching out she grabbed her cell phone. It had been several nights since Grace had come over, she really hoped she was all right.

* * *

Grace unloaded the last box of her stuff in to Sadie's spare bedroom. She had offered it to her until she could figure out a living arrangement. On the surface the move seem to be temporary, but both seemed to sense that it might not be such a brief stay. Sadie sure hoped it wouldn't, at least. 

Grace was still a bit nervous about the whole situation. They had not done anything, except for maybe that first night when they had stayed up until two in the morning, sipping wine. Grace distinctly remembered a kiss. But so far Sadie had been kind and lenient, not wanting to rush anything…that was if anything was going to happen.

Neither really knew.

Grace heard her cell phone going off and raced to her purse. She flipped it open without looking to see who it was and said, "Hello," as she glanced around her new room, admiring how beautiful it was.

"Gracie, I was worried sick. Where are you?" Karen breathed over the line.

Grace was caught off guard. "Why were you worried?" This was new.

"I had no idea where you went. I just found about Will's new boy toy and realized you have no where to go." Karen sighed, relieved that Grace had answered and was now talking to her.

"I'm fine, Karen. I'm actually staying with a friend." Grace explained, deciding friend was the best way to go.

"Well you could have called." Karen retorted.

"I'm sorry, mother, I'll try to remember to call every five minutes." Grace rolled her eyes. She felt two hands on her hips and turned to see Sadie radiantly beaming at her and her new room. "Hey listen, I have to go."

"Okay, but call later, or better yet come by tonight." Karen dictated, not making it seem like Grace had any other option.

"All right, I'll try." Grace smiled. "Bye Karen."

"Bye Gracie."

Grace flipped her phone shut and smiled at Sadie. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Sadie grinned, glancing around at all the little things Grace had added. Grace found herself caught once again in those green eyes of hers, and when they looked right at her, it was like they could see right through her. "Do you want some lunch?" Sadie inquired.

Grace nodded, but neither moved. Slowly, hesitantly Grace leaned in. Their lips met without any other body part touching. It was a unsullied kiss, but both felt something.

Sadie smiled and took Grace's hand, leading her out to the kitchen.

TBC...I forgot to say TBC in my last chapter. Anywho...I'm thinking a I feel something tragic coming up, or maybe it will get all happy? Anyway tell me what you think. You know I love my reviews. Lol. And thanks again for all the reviews you've given to me. ! You guys are the best, and you're so intuative, it's like you can sense what's going to happen next. Lol. K, go review!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

That Friday at 3:00 in the morning, Karen went in to labor. She had been having huge waves of pain the night before, but she had thought nothing of them. It wasn't until they had gotten so bad that she couldn't sleep that she decided to tell Nathan.

"Nathan." Karen whispered, trying to breathe evenly.

"What is it, sweetheart?" He mumbled, half asleep still.

"I think it's coming." Karen ran her very well manicured fingers up and down Nathan's back, rousing him from sleep.

"You what?" Nathan turned over, and looked at her through groggy eyes.

"The baby." Karen pointed at her stomach, just as a strong pain went shooting through her stomach. She cried out and doubled forward, trying to make it go away. By now Nathan had shot up in bed and was kneeling down in front of her.

"It's coming?"

"I think so." Karen nodded.

"Oh my God!" Nathan cried. "It's coming!" He got up and raced around the room like a mad man, checking to make sure everything was ready. He pulled on some clothes as he went and helped Karen get dressed as well. Her water had broken only moments before and that had been her motivation for waking Nathan.

She allowed him to usher her out the bedroom door and through the penthouse, her bags clanging against the wall as Nathan was holding them and didn't seem to have much control over them. He was too worried about getting Karen to the hospital to care.

Driver was immediately notified and he met them at the front door, taking Karen's bags for Nathan. The three raced to the waiting limo on the street and Nathan helped Karen in as Driver placed the bags in the trunk.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked, running his hand through Karen's hair. It smelled of flowers, he noticed, for she was leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'm doing okay." She bit her lip as another pain went shooting through her body. She squeezed Nathan's hand which he had given to her and it caused him to wince. "Make it stop!" She pleaded.

Nathan had done his research once again, and he didn't quite have the heart to tell her that it was only going to get worse.

"Do you want to call the kiddies?" Karen questioned, trying to keep her breathing as even as possible.

"Oh, right…yeah…" He fumbled around in his pockets for his cell phone. He quickly dialed Grace first, then Jack, and then Will, telling them which hospital to go to and to get there as fast as possible.

Karen smiled at him and once he got off the phone with Will, who sounded ecstatic, she leaned in and kissed him.

"How are you doing?" Nathan asked, noticing they were approaching the hospital.

"Good." Karen nodded, surprised at how well the whole thing was going. A pain shot through her and she winced, but it didn't hurt as bad as she had thought it would.

The limo pulled up to the hospital doors and Nathan hoped out, helping Karen out. Driver grabbed her bags and handed them to Nathan, who ushered Karen in while juggling the bags so Driver could go park the car. Once a nurse caught sight of Karen waddling in, she quickly grabbed a wheelchair and greeted them at the door.

"Do you know how far apart the contractions have been coming?" The nurse asked after handing Nathan a clipboard.

"I…uh…um…" Nathan was so perplexed, so out of it.

Karen calmly answered, after glancing at her watch, "Probably like every ten minutes or so."

The nurse nodded as she wheeled Karen in to a hospital room, Nathan clunking behind, trying to get everything organized. Several other nurses had joined her and they helped Karen to change and get in to the bed. Just as she was laying down another contraction hit her, except this one was long and strong. She cried out, and Nathan, who had taken a seat in the corner to try and fill out the paper work, bolted up and raced to her, grabbing her hand. "It's okay, baby, you're okay." He whispered, gently running has free hand up and down her back.

"Are you done with that?" A nurse asked, pointing at the clipboard Nathan was still holding.

He nodded and handed it to her, not taking his eyes off of Karen. She relaxed in to the bed. "God, this hurts." She bit her lip and closed her eyes, placing her hands on her stomach, trying to relieve the pain.

Nathan just nodded and took a seat on the side of the bed.

The contractions began to pick up intensity, and became more frequent. Karen hated this. She'd lash out at Nathan, or a near by nurse. She had never experienced pain like this before in her life. Nothing was worth this much pain.

Nathan watched her, unable to help her through the pain, to comfort her. All he could do was sit and watch as she experienced huge amounts of pain, shooting through her. He hated to see her like this. Her delicate features did not do well under stress, or pain. She looked uncomfortable. Nathan hated that he couldn't do anything for her.

A stoke of luck, and in came Jack. He looked excited, bouncing up and down as he came parading in to the room. A smile immediately ensued on Karen's grim face and Nathan relaxed, knowing that Karen felt slightly better. "Jackie!" Karen cried, reaching out to receive and awkward hug from Jack.

Jack seemed rather off set by Karen lying in a hospital bed. He did not care much for this sight, but he reminded himself that she was only having a baby. She wasn't dying. "Hey, Kare." He beamed down at her.

"I'm glad you're here." She squeezed his hand, but her squeeze turned in to a tight clutch as another contraction took over her body.

Jack's eyes bulged out, her hand tightly grasping his, and her cry something new. It was not devoid of emotion, it was a true yelp that frightened him. He was in shock. He had never experienced Karen in this naked, informal way before. "Um…Karen?" Jack couldn't quite form a thought, or anything to say for that matter. He was left, for the most part, speechless. He'd thought this would be fun, but obviously it was not.

"Go sit down over there, gay boy." Karen whispered, once the contraction had passed.

Jack just nodded, slowly, and dragged his feet to a vacant seat in the corner. He stared on at Karen, not knowing what to say or how to act.

The next to enter was Grace. Her auburn curls were a mess and she looked like she had literally just gotten up and come as she was. She made her way demurely over to Karen and bent over to kiss her on the forehead. "Morning beautiful." Grace whispered as her lips parted from Karen's forehead.

Karen smiled, needing that praise just then. "You're looking good yourself. When this is all over we need to talk." Karen smiled as Grace nodded. Just then another contraction came about and sent Karen howling.

Will had chosen this very moment to enter. Months ago he might have intelligently come up with some quip about Karen being possessed by the devil, but now he knew her better, and knew she was in pain. He went to her, not noticing Jack or Grace, hovering about in the room.

"Will." Karen smiled, once the pain had passed for the millionth time. How many more hours until it would stop?

"Hey, Karen." He pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. "I thought you might like these."

She smiled, "Of course I do."

Nathan took them from Will and sat them on the bedside table.

"Great, show up with presents. That's not how to win someone back in to your good graces." Grace sneered. She had not seen Will since that night, nor had she wanted to see Will.

"Grace, I was never on Karen's bad side. What you mean to say is, I can't win back your good graces by buying you presents. Which I beg to differ, since we settled our last argument when I bought you that scarf from Saks." Will pushed back.

Grace gave him an evil, disgusting look.

Karen didn't like this one bit. "Hey, hey, hey. Today is about me. Not you, or you." She pointed angrily and then another contraction hit her. "Red! Go over there and sit down, and homo go sit by gay boy." Karen demanded, her knuckles going white on the bed's side bars because she was squeezing them so hard.

"Calm down, honey." Nathan tried to soothe her. She was going through enough pain; this added anger was not helping.

The hours passed and before anyone knew it, the sun was gently peeking in to the room through the slits in the blinds. Those awful blinds, Karen had been staring blankly at for the last three hours she had been in the horrible room. Staring at the same walls, the same white on white, it was making her sick. Not to mention she was having contractions at an even faster interval and they were fierce. She hated this, and she made it known to everyone that she hated this.

The doctor would come in every now and again to assess her situation. As the hours bore on, Karen was more and more ready to get it over with. By 7:45, the doctors had deduced that it was safe for her to go in to labor. The baby had begun to crown and she was fully dilated.

The gang, bar Nathan, stayed put in the ugly hospital room that Karen had grown so bored of. She was excited to get out of it, but also very frightened about what was about to happen. The nurses wheeled her down the hallway and to another room where she would be pushing for quite awhile. Nathan left her side, unwillingly, to suit up. He had to put on some scrubs.

Karen cried and bellowed for him as if he had left her for good. She wasn't paying a lick of attention to anything any of the nurses were telling her. She only listened when Nathan appeared at her side, a calm washing over her body. He dictated to her what the nurses were trying to say and she listened, heeded to their instructions. Nathan's reappearance and the offering of medication through injection quieted her.

She could hear the doctor instructing her to push. She pushed at uneven intervals. There would be periods of rest, and then she would be right back at it, pushing as hard as she could. The sweat was forming, she felt hot and sticky. Her hand was squeezing Nathan's hand so hard that both's hands were white. Nathan winced at the pain, but couldn't keep his eyes off of Karen. He kept glancing down, however to see how the baby had progressed. So far the whole procedure was going good.

Not to long and the head was out. Nathan had to look. What he saw both humbled and scared him. The poor thing was covered in blood and disgusting mucus. Babies, he realized, never looked good when they first came out.

Karen obviously noticed his disgusted face and questioned him. "What is it?"

"It's beautiful." Nathan smiled at her.

"Just a few more pushes." The doctor beamed at an exhausted Karen.

As exhausted, and tired as she was, she was also relieved, excited. She was about to see her child, what she had been carrying for the last nine months. Once it was out it would end her fear of not being able to have children. How silly and childish that seemed now, now as she heard her child cry for the first time.

"It's out!" Nathan cried, his eyes moist.

"What is it?" Karen inquired, falling back on her pillow, her labor over.

"It's a girl!" Nathan's tears fell freely as the doctor placed the baby, wrapped in a blanket, in his arms. The doctor handed him the scissors and instructed him on how to cut the umbilical cord. Karen watched, a smile growing wider on her face as she watched her husband and daughter together. Once the baby was detached, Nathan brought her to see her mother. Karen held out her arms for the bright red baby and cuddled her close to her chest.

"She's beautiful." Karen whispered.

A nurse stood, smiling beside Karen, waiting to take the baby and do all the customary procedures one had to do once a newborn arrived. The baby was taken and the doctor emerged from the closing procedure of going in to labor. They congratulated Karen and her husband, and then checked on the baby who was getting cleaned, weighed, and measured.

Nathan stood by Karen, both watching their newborn daughter, waiting anxiously to hold her again. In not time the nurse's brought the baby back to the expectant parents and handed her to Karen. Several nurses dispersed and the doctor left so that Karen and Nathan were left, for the most part, alone with their daughter.

"She's absolutely gorgeous." Nathan ran his hand through the dark fuzz of hair that was growing on her head. She resembled Karen, yet had a hint of Nathan. You could see him in her nose, which fit perfectly in with her other more Karenesque features.

Her eyes had yet to open, so neither knew which eye color she had received. Whether they were her dad's blue, or her mother's dark eyes.

A nurse, standing near by, suggested that Karen feed her. Karen had no idea what to do, so the nurse gave her a crash course on how to breastfeed, since that was what Nathan and she had decided upon. Pretty soon she was feeding the thing, at first tickled by the strange sensation that occurred when her daughter (what a strange concept, her daughter!) sucked at her nipple.

After awhile, they had to take the baby away again. Nathan and Karen were so in awe that there was no much talk. After getting everybody cleaned up they took Karen back to the room she had started in, where Grace, Jack, and Will were waiting. They were relieved to see Karen the moment she rolled in the door. She looked stunning for a woman who had just delievered a child.

"It went perfectly." Nathan beamed, as the gang all exchanged hugs or kisses with Karen.

"But where's the baby?" Jack demanded.

"It's coming in a minute, Jackie." Karen grinned.

"Well what is it? A boy or girl?" Will chimed in.

Karen and Nathan exchanged glances. "It's a girl." Karen announced.

"Oh, I'm so excited for you guys!" Grace hugged Karen.

"Yay! A girl!" Jack jumped up and down.

When everyone was settled, the nurse brought the baby in for everyone to see. She was as beautiful as they all had assumed she would be. She looked so much like Karen, Jack mused. He wondered if she, too, would love the same things Karen loved in her life.

Grace and Will glanced down at the baby, both in awe in admiration. But their eyes accidentally met and a scowl from both ensued.

"This is what we could have had." Will whispered so that only Grace would hear. "Had it not been for you. It's always about you, isn't it?"

Grace didn't make a come back, she was on the verge of tears. She hated that Will hated her so much right then. What had she done? Frankly her leaving him that night had been one of the best things she had ever done. She had, after all, met Sadie. Had it not been for that fight she might never have found such a wonderful person in the world full of awful people.

Karen was beaming at her daughter, she looked radiant. She could not remember a happier day in her life. Nathan smiled down at his new daughter as well, so happy that she was finally in their lives, finally here. All the pain Karen had experienced in the last few months was over, and Nathan was relieved for her.

"What are you guys going to name her?" Jack asked, gently stroking the newborns soft head.

Nathan and Karen exchanged glances. They hadn't had a moment to think of names. Sure, they had a few picked out, but their minds had gone blank the moment she was born.

The names began coming back to Karen and she began flipping through them like she was going through a rolodex in her mind. She tried to match the names she had thought of with the babies face. None seemed to work for her. Nathan seemed to be doing the same thing, but both were blank. How to put a name to such a beautiful face?

TBC...any suggestions from the audience? Lol.


	18. Chapter 18a

Chapter 18

Nathan was sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed, waiting for Karen to wake up. She was tired, obviously, after just giving birth. She had fallen in to a comfortable sleep a couple of minutes after they had wheeled the baby out of the room. She had fed her, and then had curled up and fallen asleep. Jack, Grace, and Will had left, having gone out to grab a bite to eat. Karen had urged Nathan, but he felt it best to stay with her. However, when she fell asleep, he decided it was safe to leave and scavenge out some food.

As he walked down the hospital corridors he came across a little shop where one could buy last minute presents for their loved ones. He thought it was quite tacky, but he stepped in anyway. He wanted to pass time; knowing Karen might not be up for another hour or two. He began browsing through the shop, looking for something of interest.

In the corner there was a stand full of necklaces and rings. A rather large stone caught his attention and he was drawn to it. He gently slid the stone, which was connected onto a necklace, on to his hand and studied it. It emitted an emerald color, a beautiful green emerald. He was so transfixed by it that a sales person sauntered over and asked if he wanted to purchase the stone. For some reason he nodded and the sales lady took the necklace to the counter and rang it up.

The necklace was worth nothing, it had no value, but it had caught his eye. He had never seen such a large green stone. He wondered if Karen would like it.

After grabbing a bite to eat at the hospital, Nathan went back up to the room, taking the seat that had become his seat over the past few hours.

Not to long after he arrived back in the room, Karen opened her eyes. She smiled at Nathan, assuming he'd sat there the entire time. He smiled back and got up, going to her and kissing her. He sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and put his arm around her, pulling the necklace from his pocket.

He dangled it in front of Karen and she watched as the light hit the stone. "It's beautiful." She commented.

"I know, and I found it in the hospital store. Can you believe that?" He laughed, also transfixed by the stone.

"Emerald." Karen tried out the word, squinting at the stone which was dangling in front of her.

"Yes, it's a beautiful color." Nathan agreed.

"No, for the baby." Karen looked at Nathan. "I've been thinking about it. What about Madison Emerald." She posed the name and waited for his response.

He tried it out several times, as he affixed the stone around Karen's neck. She reached down and fingered it, feeling the cheep metal against her neck and for the first time in her life not caring.

"I like it." Nathan finally exclaimed. "We can call her Maddy or Emmy for short."

"Oh, good." Karen grinned. "Do you think she'll win an Emmy some day?"

Nathan laughed. "I'm sure she could."

"Where is she, by the way? I miss her." Karen pouted. But her pout was put to shame when the nurse came rolling in with the baby.

"We have a name," Nathan announced.

"Wonderful, I'll go grab the birth certificate." The nurse smiled at the happy family as she left.

TBC...this is part a of chapter 18. I'm sorry it's been forever. I've been super busy and I'm kinda writing something else, something a little new. So bare with me. I had to tell you the name. Lol. Anywho...we still have to see what happen with Will and Grace and Grace and Sadie and all of the above, so hopefully there will be more soon. Review and maybe it will motivate me!


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